A Date With Destiny: Smoke & Mirrors
by TTY7
Summary: All things in life are determined by the choices individuals make. In the battle between Britannia and Japan, one small choice changed the entire trajectory of the world's fate and tossed its destiny into fire and brimstone. Now, left with a shattered purpose, Rei Hino must abandon her duty as Sailor Mars and embark on the path of blood. (Alternate Storyline)
1. Prologue: The Meeting at Kyoto

A/N: Recently I have been watching the first season of Code Geass to get some inspiration for _Here We Go Again_ when another idea occurred to me, one heavily influenced by how the Fate series (Fate/Zero, Stay Night, etc.) presents its stories. Fate/Stay Night in particular has three different routes that the story moves on. That got me thinking about one section of _A Date With Destiny_. Those who have followed that story know that the original _A Date With Destiny_ follows the Code Geass storyline pretty closely with only minor changes, added scenes and dialogue, and an extra villain. Now, _A Date With Destiny's_ sequel, _Here We Go Again_ , is nearing its completion. For this reason, I have decided to write another route for _A Date With Destiny_. After all, it only takes a minor alteration to change the entire nature of a story. So, that's what we're doing here.

For this story, perspective readers need to have read up to **Chapter 38** of the original **_A Date With Destiny_** , otherwise this whole story is going to be mega-confusing for you. For those who have been following my stories from the beginning up until now...this is pretty much a different take on what could have happened to Rei and company had one event been different. In other words, I'm taking everything you know about my collection of crossovers so far and throwing it out the window here. Now don't fret, I will still be continuing with _Here We Go Again_. This story (while it involves a similar plotline at first to the original Date With Destiny) has nothing to do with any of my previous works. This is just an alternate storyline. That is all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Code Geass. I only own the original characters that will appear later on.

Warning: This first chapter is the re-written version of Chapter 39 of _A Date With Destiny_. I figured this was the best place to start the chain reaction of changes.

* * *

 **Prologue: The Meeting at Kyoto**

* * *

 _Some stories start at the beginning..._

 _This tale does not._

 _For the beginning is of little consequence for those who know the original path...the destiny that bound two souls together._

 _Instead, this tale starts a third of the way through._

 _The reason for this is as follows:_

 _Here, in the events recorded below, choices and mindsets began to change the course of every life involved in the struggle between Britannia and Japan._

* * *

"You're soft, and your methods and thinking are outdated. That is why you'll never win."

Those were the first words I uttered to the man known as Taizou Kirihara. Many years ago, he along with the prime minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi, had taken my sister and I in as hostages to the country. We were sent there by my father, Emperor Charles Zi Britannia after the death of my mother. All this occurred seven years ago.

The guard on the left positioned his gun towards me as the lever system attached to my knightmare lowered me toward the floor, but he didn't shoot. His partner had stopped him with a silent gesture and shouts geared toward all of Kyoto's personnel.

"He can fire at us with that remote! Everyone stay back! Don't make a move!"

" _That's right_ ," I thought, smirking from beneath the Zero mask I wore. " _You wouldn't want your last tie to the past to die, would you? These people are far too easy to read._ "

Kirihara growled in agitation. The sound of his anger almost made me laugh, but I held my mirth inside. Laughing wouldn't strengthen my chances of winning his favor.

"Taizou Kirihara," I began, ready to deliver words I had prepared for just this occasion. In my arrogance, I thought I had calculated every possible scenario. Unfortunately, within seconds all of my calculations flew out the window.

A circular flying disk came for my hand without warning, knocking the remote away from me. My gaze followed the device as it flew overhead and down toward the woman that had suddenly appeared to stand in front of Kirihara.

She was an attractive presence with shoulder-length blond hair that framed her face. She wore a red blouse with black dress pants and red high heels. Over her eyes she thinly rimmed glasses that reflected the dim lighting of the room. The glaring reflection of light made it difficult to see her eyes fully. However, when she moved to her left I caught a glimpse of dark amethyst irises that matched my own.

With a grin on her face, she lowered her arm. "Looks like I've beaten you at your own game, Zero."

Clenching my fists I glared at the woman through my visor, wondering if I should activate my Geass here. The guards standing on either side of her were aiming their guns at me agian, ready to fire at will.

But it seems the surprises aren't over yet.

Without any warning, the woman shot the guard on her left in the knee. The other guard aimed his gun toward her, but she was faster. She shot the gun out of his hand.

"No one is going to shoot Zero, got it!" she shouted, anger clear in her voice. "If anyone here makes any move toward him, I'll fire this remote and kill Kirihara.

"Himmiko, what it the meaning of this?" Kirihara asked, sounding completely dumbfounded by this development. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to make of this woman's actions either, not that it mattered. She wasn't paying attention to Kirihara.

Her violet gaze was trained on me and me alone.

"Wait a minute," Kirihara exclaimed suddenly. "You're not Himmiko at all!"

"You guessed it," the woman answered, her gaze still focused on my mask. She's after something, but what? If this woman isn't Kirihara's trusted bodyguard, then who is she? Why is she standing in my way?

Inhaling slowly, she spoke again. "Zero, I ask that you show me your face now." She paused for a moment to steady her shaking hand. "You were going to reveal yourself to Kirihara anyway, weren't you?"

Her knowledge of my plans shocked me. Thankfully, my mask served to hid my reaction as well as my face. The thought to use my Geass on the woman entered my mind again, but something about her made me curious to know her motive behind these actions.

"Yes," I answered after a moment. "I intended to show him my face."

"Alright," she replied. "Go ahead then."

"And if I don't?"

"Listen Zero, I already have my suspicions of who you are," she stated, looking more than a little annoyed at my inquiry. "In fact, I'm certain that I already know, but I want, no...need a confirmation. I have to know the truth. That's all I'm looking for here."

What could her intentions be? She claims to know who I am already, but needs a confirmation?

Cleary she wasn't going to give me time to think this over. Her finger was fixed around the trigger and the shaking of her hand had stopped.

Though I hate to admit it, this woman defeated me.

"Very well then," I agreed, nodding my consent. "But if I reveal myself to you, I want to know your true identity as well."

"You're in no position to be making demands of me," she answered bluntly, making it obvious that she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes at me. "I'm the one with the gun and the remote that can end Kirihara's life. I can kill you right now if I want to."

"But you don't, do you," I remarked.

For a moment she looked puzzled then angry all over again. With a scoff she answered, "I suppose you're right, but that doesn't mean that I have to do anything you say. I make my own rules."

 _Interesting woman._ "Is that so?"

The frown on her face deepened. "It is; however, I'll make a deal with you, Zero. I will reveal my identity to you on the condition that you allow me into the ranks of the Black Knights in addition to revealing your face to Kirihara and myself. Does that sound fair?"

"That's definitely not fair!" Kallen shouted from far behind me. The other members present loudly gaped at this woman's proposal, saying a number of things that probably would have been hurtful for this woman to hear had she been paying attention to them. It was a struggle for not to let out my own rebuttals to her proposal.

Why would she want to be part of the Black Knights? Is she a spy for the Britannian forces or perhaps she has her own personal vendetta against me for some reason.

Whatever the case may be, I'll have to use my Geass on her later. For now, I'll allow her to see my face. She can consider it a prize for outmaneuvering me.

Still, something in her eyes is familiar. At first I thought her eyes were a reflection of vengeance and determination sparking like a low burning flame, but after a few seconds I realized that those things weren't present in her expression at all. From what I could decipher, she just looked desperate for the truth.

With a touch of weariness in her voice she asked, "Do we have a deal?"

My, how pitiful she sounded. Chuckling in response, I brought my hands to the sides of my mask.

"Yes, I believe we do."

* * *

I've suspected him since before Narita and the mudslide that took Chad away from me.

 _You let me die!_

Over and over I keep hearing those words. I keep wishing they weren't true, but...

My heart started pounding the second Zero lifted his hands to the sides of his mask. He spoke again in those slow seconds, but I didn't hear him due to the millions of thoughts cycling through my mind. As the seconds ticked by and the helmet lifted from his face little by little, a small part of me wanted to plead for him to stop before I could see. Perhaps knowing the truth wasn't the best thing. Did I really want to know? How would I react once I did know?

I was afraid to find out.

That and in a few short moments I would have to reveal myself to him too.

" _Please just don't be..._ " My breath hitched in my throat as Zero lifted the mask above his head. His face was exposed now, but I didn't look at him right away. I couldn't. Instead my gaze fell toward the floor.

Kirihara gasped. "You..."

Gathering all my courage, I slowly lifted my gaze and nearly choked when violet eyes locked on mine.

" _Lelouch...it's...it really was him this whole time..."_

"It's been a long time Lord Kirihara," Lelouch remarked, his gaze shifting to the curtain his former caretaker hid behind.

"Yes, it's been eight years since that family took you in as a hostage," Kirihara replied.

"And I appreciate you taking care of me then."

"If I hadn't come tonight, were you planning on taking one of our messengers hostage?"

I had no idea what they were talking about. I heard their conversation, but all I could think about was the fact that Lelouch...my friend...was Zero...the man responsible for the mudslide that tore through Narita...and killed Chad. Yet...

Lelouch frowned. "Not at all. I came to ask for your help. That's all I'm seeking from you."

"And you girl," Kirihara asked, transferring his attention to me. "What is it that you are seeking?"

Seeing Lelouch's face had left me in a state of shock, so I couldn't properly respond to Kirihara's question. I thought I had been ready to know Zero's identity, but now...

How ironic. I hadn't been prepared for this at all, just as I hadn't been prepared to see Chad's body yesterday.

" _Not now,_ " I begged myself silently. " _Please don't think about that right now. You can't afford to break here._ "

After a long moment of silence, Lelouch finally addressed me again. "A deal is a deal."

" _A deal is a deal?"_ I wondered, completely lost on what we were even discussing. Between the shock of knowing for certain that Lelouch was Zero and Chad's voice ringing in my head every few minutes, I could barely even think straight.

"Well," Kirihara pressed, sounding impatient. "Go on."

Taking in a slow breath to calm myself, I closed my eyes and prayed that when I opened them the nightmare would be over, that I would wake up at the temple with Chad outside my room sweeping the patio.

Unsurprisingly, Lelouch was still standing in front of me when I opened them, gazing at me as if...well I don't really know how he's gazing at me. The look on his face is pretty unemotional. Not blank, but unemotional nonetheless, almost as if he were bracing himself. Did he recognize me?

After another deep breath I tossed him the remote back to him before placing my gun into my pants pocket. Then, by slow increments, I took off the glasses and removed the blonde wig fastened to my head. Once the wig was on the floor, I worked my fingers through my hair, unbinding it partially from the bun so Lelouch would see long, black tresses. It probably looked more like a high ponytail now, not that it really mattered. Lelouch would know my identity whether it was up in a bun or not.

I didn't see any sign of shock on his face. Mostly he just stared at me with a deadpanned expression of nonchalance. I couldn't begin to guess what was going on in his head. He didn't say a word. In a way, I was grateful for the silence.

Unfortunately, Kirihara wasn't as quiet as Lelouch.

"I knew it was you, Rei," he said while lifting the curtain in front of him in order to look at me.

"Really?" I asked, not surprised. "What gave me away?"

"Himmiko never wears red," Kirihara stated, smirking good-naturedly in a way that reminded me of my grandpa. "She absolutely detests the color, mainly because it reminds her of blood."

I almost shuddered at that, but kept my composure.

"You never answered my question before," he continued, his expression serious now. "What are you seeking?"

What a loaded question. To be honest, I don't really know what I'm seeking with this move. Did I want to sabotage Lelouch's plans? Was this a futile attempt to complete the first mission that had been given to me by M? Am I still trying to find my brother?

" _No_ ," I thought, mentally answering my own question. There was something more important that I had to do. Something I hadn't been able to do for Chad.

"What I am seeking has nothing to do with this," I answered, shifting my gaze back toward Kirihara.

"A stubborn girl as always," he muttered, laughing as he did. "Ohgi!"

A man with an odd hairstyle stepped forward. "Yes?"

"Zero is a true mortal enemy of Britannia," Kirihara stated. "His face must be kept hidden for vital reasons. Follow him and we shall assist you generously."

"We thank you," Ohgi answered, sounding a bit surprised.

"I'm grateful, Lord Kirihara," Lelouch muttered while sparing me a quick glance. He looked pretty angry now, but I couldn't bring myself to care much. Man, this situation has gotten far more complicated than I ever thought it would. I can't even begin to process what just happened.

" _What am I going to do now?"_

"Are you embarking the path of blood, Zero?"

I clenched my fists at the question.

"Indeed, if that is my destiny," Lelouch answered, now fully behind the Zero mask. He fastened it to his head within seconds, hiding his face from my view.

"And you Rei, what path will you follow," Kirihara asked. "Somehow the path of blood doesn't seem to suit you."

No, that path doesn't suit me at all, but...

"My hands are already stained with blood Master Kirihara," I stated bitterly. "As for the path I'm walking on...for now, I'm going to follow my heart and see where that leads me."

"The human heart is fickle young one."

"I know," I replied, offering him a small smile. "But right now it's all I can do."

Kirihara nodded. "Let me give you something before you leave." With slow movements he began to reach behind him. A few seconds later he withdrew a shethed sword with an engraving of a tiger on its hilt.

"This was your father's sword," he explained, holding it out to me. " This was to be given to your brother on his thirteenth birthday, but I believe this weapon is better suited for you. Within lies the heart of the warrior."

Kneeling in front of him, I held out my hands in acceptance. He placed the sword into my awaiting hands slowly. It was a heavy weight to carry, just as Chad's death was a heavy burden of guilt upon my shoulders. Still, regardless of how I feel...I have to keep going.

"Remember who you are Julianna," he whispered.

"I will," I replied, barely noticing that he had called me by my real name. Luckily, Master Kirihara had said it too low for Lelouch and the others around us to hear. "Thank you."

Rising to my feet, I gave my master one last glance before turning to face the old friend who may end up being the worst enemy I'll ever have to face.

Scoffing I walked past him, somewhat bitter about the whole ordeal. I passed by him quickly, stating that I would tell no one about him, then moved to stand with the other members of the Black Knights. Kallen started yelling at me immediately.

"Rei, you didn't tell me you worked for Kyoto!" she exclaimed harshly.

"You didn't tell me that you worked for the Black Knights," I shot back, meeting her glare head on. "So I guess we're even. Besides, our occupations aren't exactly the types of jobs we'd talk about in regular conversation genius."

"Do you want a piece of me smart aleck?"

Rolling my eyes I glanced over at C.C. who was also glaring at me a bit.

 _"Excuse me, shouldn't I be the one mad a you miss saucy pants?"_ I wondered silently. She's been working with Zero...Lelouch all this time. She probably knew from the start that Lelouch was Zero and never even bothered to inform me about it.

After leaving Kyoto's headquarters, we piled into a car and rode in silence back toward the Tokyo Settlement where the Black Knight Headquarters was located. I stared out the window for most of the ride despite there not being anything to really look at. Still, it was better than glancing around at everyone staring at me. Obviously these guys aren't going to trust me, but again, I don't care all that much. I have more important things on my mind. Thoughts of Chad, his parents...

" _Not again Rei, not again_!" my mind screamed. " _Just get over him, he's gone!_ "

And of course, just like the other times that I had thought of Chad, his harsh words returned.

 _You let me die! You let me die! You let me DIE!_

When losing someone you care about, things are supposed to get easier with time. At some point, you're supposed to move on. I know it's too soon for me to move on from this, but the constant thoughts of him and the nightmares about what happened...

"Miss Hino," Lelouch began, ready to dive into what would be a long debate between us. Unfortunately for him, I'm not ready to talk about any of this, especially with other people around.

"We're not going to discuss this now," I told him, my voice sounding weak in my ears. Stupid emotions.

"Rei."

"I'm not going to say it again!" I shouted, gaining the attention of the other Black Knight members. Growling I leaned back against the leather seat. "Please, we'll talk about this later." My voice broke on the last word. A lump was forming in my throat again too.

I have to get back to my dorm room at Ashford. There I could be away from everything and everyone...most of all Lelouch.

* * *

 _The story of this destiny did not begin here. It began many years ago at the Hikawa Temple when Rei and Lelouch were children._

 _Of course, even before then, their destinies were set in motion by people who lived millenniums ago._

 _Geass, a power created to defend a kingdom led to the birth of chaos' ultimate weapon._

 _Those who know the original story know the events that led to this moment, the moment Rei and Lelouch revealed themselves to one another. Those who know the tale of hatred, love, darkness, and light, know the tale of these two hearts...hearts that will fight together through many battles as one._

 _However, this is a different story...a diffrent destiny coming into play. After all, in the end, everything comes down to choice._

 _In a few days, these two paths will change in a drastic way, creating another route, another path to follow._

 _And all because of one small, seemingly insignificant choice._

 _But horrors lie in this path. Horrors of screams, bile, and blood. There is little hope to be had along this path and yet...strong hearts will fight and reach for a new and better world regardless._

 _This is a path of illusions and deciet, a path made from roaring flames._

 _This is the tale of smoke and mirrors._

* * *

A/N: That is merely a prologue to start the story in the middle of the action. Again, if you haven't read Chapters 1-38 of _A Date With Destiny_...well this story is going to be confusing for you. If you've never read my work before, I would recommend reading the original _A Date With Destiny_ first...at least up until chapter 38. Although, if you want to stick to the original route this story normally goes in, read all 94 chapters of _A Date With Destiny_ , what I have for _Here We Go Again_ , and then come back here. Either way, I hope you guys will enjoy what I have planned for this alternate storyline. Have a very nice day! And if you have time, leave me a review. Feedback and constructive criticism are always welcome.


	2. Turn 0: Fragments

A/N: Hey guys! TTY7 here with chapter 2. Here I'll be compiling fragments of chapters 40-42 of _A Date With Destiny._ This is basically a recap of what occurs during these chapters before introducing the little choice that changes the entire story. So, let's not waste time. On to the chapter.

Warnings: I'm trying out a new writing style here. Or it may not be new, I don't know. Either way, I'm compiling fragments of chapters together, so what you'll see is mostly italicized dialogue scenes. There's a lot to cover, so I'm skipping a good chunk point of view stuff. Unlike my other stories, this one is going to be paced much faster...hopefully. Let's move on.

Secondary warning: The entire chapter is in italics.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Sailor Moon. I only own the original characters that will appear later on.

* * *

 **Turn 0: Fragments**

* * *

 _"Shirley?"_

 _The girl he addressed stood motionless, soaking wet from the downpour that continued on without a foreseeable end. Lelouch, concerned for his friend, held his umbrella over her head once he was close._

 _"I'm sorry I was late," he murmured, trying to keep his tone lighthearted since Shirley was clearly upset. "I thought you'd already be back home by now."_

 _Shirley stayed silent. She had barely heard him speak._

 _"Anyway," Lelouch continued, "Never mind that. Let's get somewhere out of the rain now..."_

 _"Lulu, tell me…," she interrupted. "Zero, he fights for the weak doesn't he?"_

 _The sudden question puzzled Lelouch, but he answered with,_ _"Yeah, well, that's what he says."_

 _"Then why did he kill my father?"_

 _That single question shook Lelouch to the point where he couldn't hide his expression of shock. His eyes widened further as Shirley lifted her head. Before her bangs had covered her eyes, but now he could see the tears streaming down her face._

 _If there was ever a time when he needed an eloquent speech, now was that time. Unfortunately, Lelouch couldn't think of a single thing to say._

 _More tears dripped from her leaf green eyes. "You know my father, was so gentle. He never ever hurt me, he didn't do anything wrong."_

 _Lelouch opened his mouth to say something, anything at all, but..._

 _"But he was buried alive. He couldn't breathe…"_

 _There was no sound in the air but the pounding of the rain as Shirley stared directly at him, her eyes boring straight through his soul._

 _Lelouch's heart ached at the sight. Her tears had awakened the guilt that he had long since buried within his heart. Now at the surface, he was able to see with clarity just what damage his actions had caused._

 _"I…don't want this," she cried, dropping her purse. "Nooooo!"_

 _Lelouch lost his grip on the umbrella. It fell to the ground with a soft thud as Shirley pressed her face against his chest. Lelouch would have responded if the circumstances had been different, if he had been a different man, but there was nothing he could say or do. He was her father's killer._

 _Up until this moment, he hadn't grasped that innocent lives would be lost in Narita. He hadn't even considered it. His mindset then had been to capture Cornelia and win the battle...nothing more._

 _So, when Shirley looked at him once more, agony ripped through him. For a brief moment in time, Lelouch longed for death to take him. To escape from this one moment would have been ideal._

 _"Please Lulu...help me..."_

 _Before Lelouch could grasp what was happening, Shirley had pressed her lips to his. At first he was unresponsive, still lost in his feelings of guilt, but then a spark ignited within him and his arms pulled her to him of their own accord as he deepened the kiss. He knew the instant he kissed her back that shouldn't have responded at all, but he couldn't change that now. Why he returned the kiss at all was a mystery to him. He couldn't be sure if it was because he felt pity for her, guilt over the fact that he had been the one to indirectly cause her this pain, or to simply distract himself from his thoughts._

 _In the end, it didn't really matter. He concentrated on being what Shirley needed him to be in that moment. Right then, she had needed someone to love her._

 _And in that lone instant, he loved her with everything he had._

* * *

 _The funeral for Shirley's father was a few days later._

 _That same day, Rei Hino was supposed to go to the funeral of her former boyfriend, Chad Matsumoto._

 _However, the senshi of fire couldn't bring herself to make the trip. After all, in her mind, she had let him die. She had no right to be in the presence of his family, friends, and all the other people who had truly loved him._

 _It was in that mindset that Rei found herself standing before Shirley and the others, just barely catching the last of the rant Suzaku Kururugi was spouting._

 _"He doesn't even get his hands dirty. He stirs people into a frenzy, tips the world into chaos, then sits back and congratulates himself. It's not going to change a thing. Anything gained from his kind of tactics is just…"_

 _Rei spoke before she could stop herself. "Stop it Suzaku. Just...stop it. This is hardly the time to be saying things like that._ _Besides, it's not like Zero's the one who started the battle. That was Cornelia."_

 _"Are you seriously defending Zero," Suzaku angrily questioned, turning to face her with malice in his emerald-green eyes. "After what he's done, you'd..."_

 _"Not at all," Rei interrupted, her tone filled with bitterness. "What I'm saying is that you can't post all of the blame on him. He's not responsible for every death in Narita."_

 _"How would you know, you weren't even there!"_

 _Rei bowed her head, inhaling deeply before she spoke._

 _"I was there. I was in Narita when the landslide came crashing through the city."_

 _Nearly everyone jumped in with an exclamation of inquiry. The only ones that stayed silent were Lelouch and Shirley._

 _Nina was the first to ask a coherent question. "What were you doing in Narita?"_

 _"I was running an errand," Rei answered. "Just picking up my motorcycle from a good friend of mine. We had an argument. I left him behind in the town square, but when I saw the landslide coming, I went searching for him." She paused, her mind contemplating her reasons for saying any of this. She felt badly about it. She knew that talking about Chad's death with people she hardly knew wasn't going to help and yet..._

 _"I found him," she continued, a lump forming in her throat. "But I also found my grandpa. He had been missing for the last week or so."_

 _She took another deep breath, fighting back the urge to cry as the rest of the story spilled from her lips._

 _"Chad and my grandpa were on two different sides of an intersection. There wasn't time to get to both of them, or at least that's what I keep telling myself." Her heart started pounding, the vividness of the memory nearly taking her breath away with how much pain it caused to remember what she had done._

 _"I was torn between two people I cared about. In the end I saved my grandpa, but Chad…t_ _he second I found out about Chad's death I blamed Zero for everything. I even thought of him as being a heartless monster."_

 _Lelouch flinched, but it was too subtle for anyone to notice. Rei herself missed it, though she knew her words must have hurt him._

 _"I realized something though, something I hadn't wanted to come to terms with." She stopped for a moment, her gaze briefly flickering to Lelouch._ _"I only blamed Zero because I hadn't wanted to blame myself. I know that if I had really wanted to I could've saved Chad and my grandpa, but I didn't even try to. I just let Chad die." She laughed bitterly at herself for how much of a fool she was being. Tears were sliding over her cheeks now. She couldn't stop them from falling._

 _"I let him die. I doubt that anyone, even Zero, would ever willingly let someone they cared about die. So if anyone's a monster, or a coward it's me." By then, Rei wanted to stop talking, but once more she couldn't bring herself to stop, even as her voice started to break._

 _"His funeral was today. I even got ready for it, but I couldn't go. I had no right to be there, especially not after the things I said to him before he died. So I just…came here. I thought it would be better to support Shirley. She needs all of us right now."_

 _Truthfully, Rei was the one that needed them, all of them. Even Lelouch._

 _In fact, Lelouch's words to her a few minutes later were the words she needed to hear the most, but she didn't accept them. She couldn't._

 _"You shouldn't blame yourself."_

 _"I have no one else to blame, Lelouch."_

 _She didn't know it then, but soon she would be saying those words again._

* * *

 _"Lulu, I'm sorry."_

 _"What?"_

 _"It wasn't fair, kissing you like that. It wasn't fair of me at all._ _I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."_

 _Lelouch was silent. He wanted to refute her statements and tell her the truth, but couldn't. To do so would jeopardize his goal to create a better world for Nunnally. In the end, as much as he wanted to console Shirley, that goal was simply more important to him. However..._

 _"I mean you finally kissed me and I can't even be happy."_

 _She ran. He called out to her, but didn't pursue. How could he? He was her father's murderer. As far as Lelouch was concerned, he didn't even have a right to speak to her._

* * *

 _"No, It can't be true."_

 _"Yes, this boy may be connected to the Black Knights."_

 _Shirley Fennette shook her head in denial. An hour or so had passed since she had last seen the boy she loved. "I don't believe you!"_

 _With Viletta Nu calling out to her, Shirley abandoned the vehicle she had been sitting in and ran. All of her thoughts were a jumble thanks to the seeds of doubt Viletta had planted in her mind. Within hours those seeds would grow and prompt Shirley follow Lelouch to an empty pier where a battle would take place._

* * *

 _The following day, Zero scheduled an operation to assist JLF operatives. Intelligence from a Britannian journalist, Diethard Ried, confirmed Princess Cornelia's intention to eliminate the former leaders of Japan once and for all while obtaining their reserves of liquid Sakuradite. This was all discussed in a meeting Zero called for all Black Knight operatives._

 _All but one showed up to the meeting._

 _The missing operative was none other than Rei Hino, a girl stuck in a classic predicament. She needed to be in two places at once because she hadn't gotten a chance to quit her position within the A.S.E.E.C.'s team yet. After all, the switch from Kyoto operative to Black Knight's operative had left her little time to quit her undercover commitments. Somehow, as Sailor Mars and Rei Hino, she would need to fight on both sides._

 _At the same time, she was still shouldering her grief and the knowledge of Zero's identity. She tried not to think about it as she packed up the things she would need in her duffel bag and continued to keep her mind clear of everything except her immediate predicament._

 _Yeah, that was definitely easier said than done._

 _When Rei left her quarters in the base, which were placed strategically across the hall from Zero's, she caught the masked man coming up the stairs. With widening eyes she took a step back in an attempt to retreat back into her room despite knowing that he had seen her._

" _Rei!"_

 _His tone was terse and cold, indicating that he had some choice words for her, words she didn't want to hear._

 _"I'm not going to talk to you about…," she trialed off when he grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged her to his quarters across the hall. She wanted to slap the back of his head then and there, but didn't get the chance to._

 _He let go of her arm when the automated doors closed behind them. Rei glared at the mask he wore then let out a longsuffering sigh as she moved to sit on his couch. Crossing her arms over her chest as a defiant gesture, she waited for him to make the first move._

 _He took off the mask slowly_ , _revealing his face to her again._

 _"Well?"_

 _Lelouch didn't answer, only stared back at her with remorse shining in his violet eyes._

 _"Are you going to talk or are you going to waste more of my time?" Rei asked, offhandedly glancing at her watch while hoping he would drop the subject he was surely going to bring up in the next few seconds._

 _"Why did you come to Area 11?"_

 _Rising up from the couch, Rei started to brush past him."I don't need to explain anything to you!"_ _His hand reached out as she spoke, firmly taking hold of her wrist in his grip. Rei stopped moving, but didn't turn around to face him._

 _"You're going to tell me what I want to know."_

 _"Fine then," she muttered irritably before snatching herself out of his grasp. Without looking at him she sat back down on the couch and answered his previous question. "I was sent here."_

 _"By whom?"_

 _Rei shrugged. "I don't know."_

 _"You're lying."_

 _"It's the truth. I honestly don't know exactly who sent me. All I know is the first initial of their name."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"M."_

 _Silence hovered in the room as Lelouch contemplated Rei's answer. The girl in question opted to tap her foot against the carpeted floor to show that she was thoroughly ticked now._

 _"Why were you sent here?"_

 _"Lelouch, is this going to be some drawn out game of twenty questions? If you don't get to the point I'm leaving."_

 _"You're not going anywhere," he responded, his voice taking on a dark and deadly tone._

 _"Oh, so you're threatening me now?" Rei questioned, rising to her feet yet again. "What are you, an imitation of "Phantom of the Opera"? Seriously Lelouch, I don't want to talk about this now! I'm dealing with enough!"_

 _"Why don't you blame me for what happened to your friend Chad?" he asked, taking slow steps toward her until they were only inches apart._

 _Rei turned her head toward the door as another act of defiance to his authority. "I absolutely refuse to talk to you about this, Lelouch. Now, if you don't mind I..."_

 _His gloved hand reached up to touch her face then, causing the words Rei wanted to speak to die in her throat. Once quiet, he guided her face toward his. Their gazes locked._

 _"Why do you blame yourself?"_

 _That single question nearly broke her then and there. Tears sprung to her eyes and made trails down her face before she could stop them._

 _"Because it's my fault," she told him breathlessly. "I let him die, Lelouch."_ _All at once the thoughts of Chad came rushing back, tormenting her as she remembered catching the last glimpse of his brown eyes just before the building collapsed on top of him, crushing his body in an instant. Rei closed her eyes to chase the image away, but it was useless. She had hoped to avoid this. She had hoped to avoid the subject of Chad altogether because every day that passed was a fight to push the memories away. Focusing solely on the missions she had been given was the one thing keeping her sane. She couldn't allow herself to think about how weak and selfish she had been the moment her friend needed her the most, and yet...it was all she could think about. Try as she might to push the emotions away, she couldn't do it._

 _Lelouch's gloved hand was still resting against her cheek when she opened her eyes. Rei stared at his hand, noting the droplets of tears his fingertips had captured. She had the thought to push him away, scream at him to keep his murdering hands off her, or just leave, but didn't. For whatever reason, she stayed put._

 _"I caused the landslide," he stated plainly. "You should blame me for what happened to him."_

 _"I did blame you, and the landslide is your fault, but…Chad…," her voice broke a bit when she said his name. "I can't blame you for what happened to him. I can't blame you for anything that happened that day. I don't have it in me to hate you and that's probably what bothers me the most. I should hate you. I should **want** to hate you, but I don't."_

 _Afraid, but determined to see his reaction to her words, Rei shifted her gaze again so that she was staring directly into his eyes. There were a number of emotions in those violet eyes, but Rei wasn't sure of any of them. Lelouch was also trying to figure out what was going on in Rei's head, but her eyes were a perfect mirror of his. Deciphering everything she felt was impossible for him._

 _Rei sucked in a shaky breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Lelouch, I know you're fighting for Nunnally. Don't hate yourself or feel guilty about that. You did what you had to do and you can't turn back now. It's already too late to turn back, so...you have to keep moving forward just as I have to keep moving forward." She paused for a moment, almost as if she were trying to draw out any emotional strength left within her before speaking again. "That's why I'm here Lelouch. I have to finish what I set out to do. I can't give up now even though I want to. My fate is already sealed and yours is as well. So you can't give up, Lelouch. Neither of us can."_

 _The senshi of fire didn't know how wrong she was in that statement. No fate is ever truly sealed...not until its too late to change it._

 _"You didn't love him, did you?"_

 _A sigh fell from her lips. "No, I didn't. That's why losing him hurts so much, because he loved me and I couldn't protect him...I...just..." Her head fell against his chest, then she wrapped her arms around him in a near death grip as soft sobs wracked through her. Lelouch held her just as he had held Shirley and wished once again that he could die...if only to escape the guilt the tears these two girls had brought upon him. His soul was taking a severe beating, but he knew he had to press forward regardless. The peaceful world he longed to build for his sister could only come from his victory along this path of blood._

 _However, just because he had to suffer didn't mean that his friends had to. With his Geass he could take the pain away. Or at least...that's what he thought when he tried using his Geass on Rei._

 _"You will forget everything you know about Zero and Lelouch," he stated. "You will go back to Juban with your friends and you will forget about Chad dying. You'll forget that you ever came here."_

 _Rei began to question him when the worst pain she had ever felt wracked through her skull. He shouted for her to forget and the pain grew ten times worse. She screamed, pieces of her memory beginning to fade until she slapped him hard across the face._

 _The pain lessened to a minor headache then, but Rei was officially in rage mode._

 _"LELOUCH, WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"_

 _Lelouch stared back at her with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe what had just happened._

 _"Lelouch, answer me when I'm talking to you or so help me I will run you over with a bulldozer!"_

 _"How do you still know who I am?" Lelouch questioned, still confused on how Rei had been able to resist his Geass._

 _Rei's anger heightened at his question. "Okay, first you try to do something crazy with some wacky, weird power and then you ask me a dumb question like that!?" Jabbing her finger into his chest she added, "Quit being a moron give me an explanation for this you...you...idiot!"_

 _"I meant…listen I have a power called Geass," he admitted, trying not to incite any further wrath from her. "It's the power of Absolute Obedience. In other words, I can usually make someone do whatever I want them to..."_

 _"Oh, I get it!" Rei interrupted, screaming in his ear. "You were trying to erase my memories!" With a loud snarl she proceeded to smack him upside the head. "You jerk! Why would you do something like that? You know I'm not going to tell anyone about you, although I should for that stunt you just pulled you rotten cape wearing dunce!"_

 _Lelouch took a couple steps away from her to avoid being bonked in the head again. "I know you wouldn't say anything. I'm trying to protect you."_

 _"I don't need your protection!" came her resounding screech as she hit on the head again. "I can take care of myself just fine!" With another angry snarl she hit him again and screamed, "Ugh! Because of you, I have a pounding headache now! I should...ooooooh!" Rolling up the sleeves of her Black Knights jacket she marched toward the door. She was definitely ready to fight now, that was for sure._

 _"Rei wait!"_

 _"Oh no! I'm out of here! Let's see how well your operation to capture Cornelia goes without me!"_ _After exiting through the doors, she practically sprinted out of the base while ranting to herself that Lelouch was nothing but a stupid, rotten, egotistical, maniacal jerk. At the same time though, as she marched down the docks of the pier where the operation was to take place, she noted that she didn't feel sad anymore. She realized, if not for Lelouch's stupid move, she would've almost been..._

 _Happy?_

 _Rei shook her head of the idea, determined not to let that little bit of kindness he extended get into her head. He wasn't going to win her over, especially not after everything he had done._

 _But then...out of nowhere a sudden vision came to her. She stopped dead in her tracks, taking in the sight of Lelouch as Zero barely crawling out from a damaged knightmare cockpit. In the next second, she saw Shirley standing before him, holding his gun in her hands._

* * *

" _Lulu, I'm sorry to be doubting you like this_ , _but…please I want to believe in you_."

 _Shirley didn't know it yet, but she had been followed._

* * *

 _"Second thoughts?"_

 _The question rolled off his tongue without him giving much thought to it. He was genuinely curious to hear what Kallen had to say to him, yet knew that her reasons for seeking him out was because she had doubts about what they were doing and what their end goal was._

 _"I thought the goal was justice. The only reason I've fought until now is because I thought it was the right thing to do, so I could live with the killing. But now…tell me, is this real? Is what we're all doing here really going to change the world for the better?"_

 _Zero, with a towel over his head to hide his face from Kallen's view, answered, "Yes, it will, or rather, it must change the world."_

 _"But..."_

 _"Will there be sacrifices?" Zero questioned. "Not only just soldiers, but the innocent as well, and yet we've no choice but to continue. No matter the cost, even if people see us as cowards, we have to prevail and move forward. If that means more blood will be shed, so be it. We've spilt so much to get here. We can't let it be in vain, but I won't force you, Kallen. If you wish to turn back, now is the time."_

 _Lelouch wasn't sure if he had spoken those words solely for her benefit. He had held his own doubts after what the results had been. Even so...he could not turn back and he couldn't allow Kallen to walk along this path with him if she didn't want to continue._

 _Yet her next words were full of confidence and determination. "I've made my choice. I'll follow you to the very end."_

 _The red-head couldn't see Zero's face, but she saw the corners of his lips lift into a soft smile. "I'm grateful, Kallen."_

 _"No, I'm the one that's grateful, Zero." Turning away, she moved toward the cracked warehouse door. "I'm glad we could talk like this. What you said means a lot to me. I'll carry them with me until the end of this war."_

 _A soft chuckle sounded behind her. "Should I ever have any doubt, I'll need you to remind me of those words."_

* * *

 _Cornelia Li Britannia's operation to eliminate the JLF ship and confiscate the Sakuradite on board the vessel began one hour later. Suzaku Kururugi, along with her royal guard and other forces fired at the weaker Japanese soldiers aiming to protect themselves from the onslaught of bullets. At one point they surrendered, to which Suzaku tried to end the operation, but was unsuccessful._

 _At the same time, hidden away from sight, Ohgi, with Diethard standing next to him, was urging Zero to do something. For whatever reason, their masked leader was waiting. It frustrated Ohgi to no end._

 _Eventually, Zero caved to Ohgi's concern or so it seemed. In reality, he had just ordered his troops to move out while pressing the button on a hand-held remote._

 _As soon as he pressed this button, the JLF ship exploded in a blast of pink light._

 _To all who were watching, it appeared that the members on board the ship committed suicide by blowing up the Sakuradite. In response to this, Zero ordered the Black Knights to go after Cornelia._

 _The second Cornelia got into the cockpit of her knightmare, the Guren was upon her with Zero close behind on his custom Burai. The Lancelot appeared a short time later to combat Zero when he hesitated to fire at the trapped princess._

 _The reason he hesitated was because he thought he caught a glimpse of Shirley._

* * *

 _Rei Hino, having transformed into Sailor Mars, was searching for Shirley just as the Lancelot sent Zero's cockpit hurling into the air. Crouching low to avoid getting hit, Rei ducked between two warehouses. The cockpit landed with a loud screeching noise seconds later, landing a short distance from Rei's hiding place. Not knowing for certain who was in the cockpit, Rei rose to her feet. The vision she had earlier flashed before her eyes again, distracting her just long enough for Shirley to appear before the battered cockpit. As Zero's body slumped over, Shirley knelt down to where his gun lay._

 _"Is this Zero's?"_

 _The second Shirley spoke, Rei snapped back into reality. Her vision was happening right before her eyes._

 _With shaking hands, the strawberry blonde girl pointed the gun toward Zero's mask. "Then with this..."_

 _Heels pounded into the pavement as Rei stormed forward. She may have been angry with Lelouch, but she had made a promise to herself. She wouldn't let another person she cared about die...even if it was the man who had taken Chad away. Like it or not, she still cared about Lelouch. She didn't want to see him die._

 _"I'll repay you...for my..."_

 _"STOP!"_

 _Shirley gasped, her eyes losing focus for a moment as Sailor Mars came to stand between her and the unconscious masked terrorist on the ground._

 _Rei noted that the mask was beginning to slide off, but had she arrived any later it would have been too late. Shirley would have killed Lelouch before realizing that he was Zero._

 _"What are you...you're Sailor Mars?"_

 _"Shirley don't do this," Rei pleaded, then sighed heavily after realizing that she had just blown her cover. This was certainly turning into a mess._

 _The girl holding the gun took a step back, her hands shaking more violently around the gun. "How do you know my name? Who are you!?"_

 _Rei knew it was a bad move to go with the truth, but she had no other choice. "It's me," she proclaimed, removing the red hood and the cloth that covered the bottom half of her face._

 _"R...Rei?"_

 _"Look Shirley, you can't kill Zero, he's…"_

 _"How can you protect him after what he's done?" Shirley cut in angrily, practically sobbing. Her hands steadied around the gun. Rei gritted her teeth in response, knowing that what she had to do next was definitely going to bring about severe repercussions later. Unfortunately for her, she was left with no other alternative but to do the one thing that could jeopardize everything Lelouch had worked for._

 _Lowering herself to the ground as slowly as possible, Rei removed the mask from Lelouch's head. "This is why."_

 _Once again Shirley gasped, her leaf green eyes widening at the sight of another familiar face. "Lulu is…"_

 _"I see, so the student is Zero himself," a new voice interrupted. "I also see that the supposed Sailor Scout of justice is protecting him."_

 _From the shadows, a silver-haired, green-eyed woman with a darker complexion than the two teens appeared, a wide smirk of triumph written all over her face._

 _Rei's violet gaze narrowed on the woman. "Viletta Nu."_

 _"And he's a Britannian too," Viletta proclaimed, laughing slightly while also ignoring Rei. "I wonder what grand execution will be in store for him."_

 _"Don't you touch him!" Rei shouted, her arms bringing the man she held closer to her when Viletta got too close._

 _Viletta simply chuckled._ " _You shouldn't make demands. After all you're going to be executed as well."_

 _Rei growled at that. "I'd like to see you try."_

 _Another laugh escaped the older woman_. _"Princess Cornelia will make me a noble for taking in the masked terrorist and his protector."_

 _In response to those words, Rei's grip on Lelouch involuntarily tightened. Fear gripped at her heart at the thought of the two of them being executed._

 _And then something unexpected happened. Shirley lifted the gun in her hands, pointing it toward Viletta._

 _"No Shirley! Don't do it!"_

 _Viletta turned to face the shaky teen. "How stupid of me! He's your boyfriend isn't he?" She started to charge toward Shirley to take the gun away from her. It was a foolish and deadly move._

 _Turning her back to Shirley and the gun, Rei shouted for the girl to stop just as she fired the gun. For a couple of seconds, Rei's eyes were squeezed shut, anticipating pain since she knew Shirley had probably never handled a gun before. However, after a few seconds, she inclined her gaze over her shoulder in time to see Viletta stumbling away, clutching her side until her feet slipped from off the dock. The woman fell a good distance, but Rei wasn't sure if she had hit the water or the narrow areas of concrete below. To her it didn't matter._

 _Shirley ran off seconds later, leaving Rei alone with Lelouch._

 _The senshi of fire sat there for a long while, breathing heavily as the shock slowly wore off. When she finally let go, she noticed blood covering her chest. For a couple seconds, Rei worried it was her own blood, but quickly realized that she hadn't been harmed at all. Suddenly her gaze was darting around Lelouch's body, checking for wounds. Within seconds she noted a long gash across his forehead that was still bleeding._

 _"Ugh, Lelouch, you clumsy fool," she whispered, her expression reflecting deep concern despite the irritation seeping from her words. "You're worse than Serena...ah!" Rei bit back a scream as another explosion sounded through the air. With slow movements she looked over her shoulder again. The Guren Mk-II and the Lancelot were still locked in combat. Neither of them had noticed a thing. Rei was grateful for that. With Viletta gone, Shirley was the only one who knew about her and Lelouch's secret identities._

 _Glancing about to make sure no one was around, Rei began to move Lelouch over to the other side of the cockpit. If Suzaku, Kallen, or anyone else happened to look in that direction, they wouldn't see Lelouch in the Zero costume. Unfortunately, that wasn't only one problem Rei had to deal with. The other was the giant gash across his forehead. The poor girl had no clue had to treat it, though she figured stopping the bleeding was probably the best place to start. She'd had bandages in her duffel bag, but...she had left the bag in Lelouch's quarters back at the base after their...discussion._

 _Unsure of what to do, she lightly touched his forehead. Her fingers started glowing red almost immediately after she touched him._

 _"What the..." Before Rei could even formulate a proper sentence, the wound disappeared before her eyes, transforming into a light cut that was barely noticeable._

 _Looking down at her hand, the raven-haired princess began to wonder how she had healed her friend when her cell phone rang. She flipped it open without checking the caller I.D. and pressed it to her ear._

 _"Hello?"_

 _"Is he alright?"_

 _Rei didn't bother to contemplate how C.C. had gotten her number. "Yeah, he's unconscious but he'll be okay."_

 _"He'll probably wake up soon. You should leave while you can," C.C. stated. "You don't want him to find out that your Sailor Mars."_

 _"Yeah, wouldn't want that," Rei replied in agreement before hanging up on the immortal witch. Her eyes drifted to the spot where Lelouch's wound had been in wonder, but after another explosion sounded she placed the hood of her cape back over her head and rose to her feet. Rei didn't like the idea of leaving Lelouch behind in the open, but she hoped he would be in good hands with C.C. After all, as far as she knew, the two of them had been working together since the start of this mess._

 _Taking off, Rei decided that it would be a better idea to go home rather than look around for Shirley. She had shot Viletta to protect them, so Rei was confident that she wouldn't tell the authorities who they were. Even so...regardless of whether Shirley was trustworthy or not, her knowledge about their identities was going to be a problem._

 _What the senshi of fire didn't know was that there was another person out there...no two people out there...aiming to turn this situation to their advantage._

* * *

A/N: I was going to make this the only recap chapter, but the truth is there's a couple more scenes that I need to implement before I bring about the changes to the original plotline. Unfortunately, putting them all here would make the chapter VERY long. As it stands it's already over 6,000 words, so I am going to end it here. Thanks for reading guys! Stay tuned for the next chapter. At the end of it, I will be implementing the big change. Thanks for reading. Please review! Tell me your thoughts. Constructive criticism is welcome. Let me know if there is a grammar or spelling issue up there. Sometimes I miss those.


	3. Turn 0-5: Choice

A/N: Here comes the third chapter and the final chapter that compiles fragments from things in the original _A Date With Destiny._ I know by now you guys are probably tired of the recap, but it's necessary so...muhahahahahahahaha! Hey! Don't leave! Come on! I have good stuff planned! (Whimpers in defeat) Oh whatever, the show must go on with or without an audience.

 **Suzaku: (randomly appears) How can there be a show without an audience?**

 **TTY7: (Points to stage-left) Out! Now!**

Warnings: Most of this chapter will be in italics because it is, once again, a recap chapter. However, at the end of this chapter is a special surprise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Code Geass. I only own the original characters that will appear later on.

* * *

 **Turn 0.5: Choice**

* * *

 _"Is that what you wanted?"_

 _Lelouch almost didn't answer C.C.'s inquiry. The exiled prince's gaze was fixed on the mask he cradled in his hands, his mind lost in a silent state of panic._

 _"This is pathetic," C.C. continued, her footsteps softly echoing off the pavement as she approached him from behind. "You're so shook up you can't even issue orders, and Cornelia will..."_

 _"Listen to me," Lelouch cut in, fighting within himself to keep calm. "My handgun is missing. Whoever has it now must've taken it from me while I was unconscious."_

 _C.C. narrowed her golden gaze, wondering silently to herself if Rei had been the one to take the weapon. After all, it wasn't as if the immortal witch had seen what happened. She only knew Lelouch had been injured and that Rei had unknowingly used Geass on him to heal the injury._

 _"If that's true," she murmured, noting the blood on the ground, "It means they saw your face."_

 _"There were at least two of them." Lelouch's gaze also traveled down to the blood underneath their feet. "One who fired and one who got shot. Two."_

* * *

 _Dear Lelouch,_

 _I don't understand. I don't understand any of this._

 _You lied to me. You lied to Milly, Nina, Rivalz, Kallen, Suzaku, Nunnally...oh Nunnally. What would she even think if she knew?_

 _How could you be part of the Black Knights? Why did my father have to die? Those thoughts are what got me thinking. I followed you, hoping to find the truth. I didn't know...I never dreamed._

 _When my father died I didn't know where to turn to...except to you Lulu. I wanted...I needed you to help me through the pain, but...all along you were the cause of it. How could you have done it? How could you be Zero? Just knowing that you're the man that killed my father breaks my hart and I can't think straight..._

 _Shirley couldn't bear to continue writing. With her left hand she crumpled the piece of paper as silent tears ran down her cheeks. In her head she was still asking herself questions. She wondered why Lelouch lied to her yet told the truth to Rei, a girl none of them hardly knew. Even he hadn't seen her for seven years before a month ago so why..._

 _She wondered if it was because Lelouch trusted Rei more than he trusted her._

 _Did she feel jealousy because of that?_

 _Did she feel jealousy and hatred toward Rei because she had protected him from her?_

 _"Shirley?"_

 _The strawberry blonde quickly grabbed the gun off the desk and laid it in her lap, hiding the offending weapon underneath her blazer as her roommate sat up in bed._

 _"What are you doing up so early? Is that a love letter?"_

 _"Oh, it's nothing," Shirley lied, easily hiding her grief with a cheerful smile._

 _"Something special for Lelouch?"_

 _"In a way."_

* * *

 _"No! Stop! Arthur! Arthur! Owwwwww!"_

 _The connection died._

 _Lelouch raised his eyebrow at the abrupt end to conversation he was having with Suzaku. "Wonder what's going on over there."_

 _C.C. was prancing about the room, unable to decide whether she wanted to pace or sit down. After a few seconds, she took a seat on the couch. "So then it seems like…"_

 _"Right," Lelouch responded, anticipating C.C.'s words. "It appears that he doesn't know about me. That eliminates one group: the military."_

 _"Aside from them and the Black Knights, I can't think of anyone else who would have been there."_

 _"Someone from the Japan Liberation Front could have survived?" Lelouch pondered._

 _"And they only stole your gun?"_

 _Lelouch took a sat down a short distance away from his accomplice. "I think I'll have Ohgi check out the black market then."_

 _"And the blood?" C.C. questioned, throwing her torso against the couch cushions._

 _"It'll take time to analyze, but there's something else."_

 _"Oh, and what's that?"_

 _"I thought I saw Shirley there."_

 _C.C. chuckled. "Oh, the girl who kissed you?"_

 _Lelouch glared down at the witch. "Would you give that a rest already?"_

 _"Just making sure I got the right girl lover boy," C.C. explained without a hint of emotion as always. "But if she was there then there's something we need to know and we better find out fast."_

* * *

 _The previous night, deciding that confronting Shirley would have to wait till morning, Rei went back to the mansion she and the other scouts were staying in and went to sleep without a second thought._

 _She slept for four hours. In those four hours she had a dream about the past._

 _Said dream was unsettling for her as the senshi of fire wasn't entirely sure what it meant. Within the dream she had been walking down the hall in a large palace. Over and over she kept hearing one word repeated as she walked down this hall._

 ** _Narita._**

 _Aside from the voice calling out to her, the dream felt like a hazy memory that she couldn't quite grab a hold to. Rei passed by her mother within the dream, who had held a bizarre resemblance to her except for her bright blue eyes. For Rei, seeing her real mother was surreal, dream or no dream. At the same time, she heard her name being called, her real name...Julianna. Rei felt happy in being able to remember that name for real. It had sounded familiar when Kirihara had called her by that name, but when her mother uttered the word..._

 _She also knew from the dream and from Kirihara's words that she had a younger brother and that at one time, they had spent time in a palace in Narita. Rei wondered if there was a clue remaining in that city or if perhaps, her brother had been living there. For all she knew, the landslide Zero caused could have killed him that day._

 _When Rei woke up, she got dressed without explaining where she had been the day before to Serena or anyone else. Instead she took off for Ashford Academy to find Shirley. Before doing anything else she needed to speak with her._

 _Unfortunately, Shirley wasn't present anywhere on campus. Realizing this, Rei left school early, claiming that there was work she had to handle at the Red Tycoon._

 _When she returned to the mansion, it was empty once again, most likely because Serena and the others had followed her to the campus again and were still there._

 _With that in mind she hurried up the stairs to change into street clothes which consisted of a dark denim jacket over a black tank top, black jeans, and black ballet flats. Once she was wearing the clothes, she started to brush through her hair a bit while contemplating the words Lelouch had spoken to her. She couldn't deny that he had helped her feel a bit better, but she was also peeved at the fact that he had tried to use this...Geass power on her. What was that power again? Absolute obedience? Rei couldn't really recall, not that it mattered to her. As far as she knew, his strange ability didn't have anything to do with her._

 _Soon she would know differently._

 _But for now, Rei's only concern was to go to Narita. With her computer packed into her black messenger bag, she started down the stairs and made her way out of the house. She only had an hour to make the train._

* * *

 _"Ugh, why should I have to go rifling through some girl's underwear." C.C. asked, sounding more annoyed than the one time Lelouch didn't have enough money on his credit card to pay for her pizza expenses. "This is going to cost you."_

 _"It always does," Lelouch replied, searching through Shirley's dresser one more time._

 _"You could do this solo, and she'd be thrilled to know that the man she loves went searching through her bedroom for a gun that she might not even have," C.C. stated._

 _"That's my business C.C.."_

 _The immortal witch sat down on the bed with Shirley's diary in hand. "Once again, making a big deal out of nothing. Anyway, there's no sign of that gun in here, and her diary only goes up to the 14th."_

 _"The 14th?" Lelouch questioned, his hands pausing over a small black box. "That's the day her father had died...oh."_

 _The black box slipped from his fingers, falling to the ground with a soft clang as pictures slipped out._

 _"Look, they're a bunch of photos of you," C.C. stated, pointing out the obvious while picking one up._

 _"Of me?" His eyes scanned the photos, noticing how he was in every single one._

 _"How could our suspect be so sweet?"_

 _Lelouch groaned. "Just cut the sarcasm, will ya." Turning back to the dresser he noticed a small book lying on the table._

 _"Train schedules?" he mumbled to himself while opening the book to flip through the pages. His eyes widened when he flipped to a marked page. One word jumped out at him._

 _ **Narita**_

* * *

 _About an hour later, Lelouch and C.C. were on the train going to Narita. For whatever reason, C.C. had opted to put on a ridiculous Russian themed Lolita outfit. She was definitely a sight for sore eyes both with her lime green hair tied in two ponytails and the outrageous outfit...she was even wearing a little red hat._

 _Lelouch was still contemplating the atrocity that was C.C.'s fashion choice when she asked him a question._

" _So do you love her, this girl called 'Shirley'?"_

 _The raven-haired prince kept his gaze trained on the window. "Don't know."_

 _"Do you hate her?"_

 _"I don't know," he said again, this time with more agitation than before._

 _"Then why are we going to Narita?" C.C. asked._

 _Lelouch snapped his intense gaze away from the window to meet hers. "You know the reason why. She may have discovered who I am."_

 _C.C. met the challenge in his stare unflinchingly. "What if she really does know? Are you going to kill her?"_

 _The exiled prince didn't even want to ponder the answer to that question. It was bad enough that he had killed Shirley's father. To kill her too would really turn him into a demon._

 _"If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should keep them at a distance," C.C. muttered after a long moment of silence had passed between them. Lelouch let out a sigh in response._

 _"So, is that from experience?"_

 _"No, it's a way of life," C.C. replied while her eyes shifted back toward the window. "Well, well, well, look at this."_

 _Lelouch raised an eyebrow, wondering what had caused C.C. to have that curious look on her face. "What is it?"_

 _"It looks like Rei Hino is going to Narita as well."_

* * *

 _Rei notices Lelouch watching her a minute or so later while applying her lipgloss. Seeing his image in the corner of her compact mirror made her remember how stupid he'd been the night before. She started to wonder what he was even doing on a train heading toward Narita. As far as she knew, he had no business there._

 _In this situation, Rei could make one of two choices. One part of her wanted to interrogate him and find out what his business in Narita was. The other part, the part that should have been more dominant, knew that she needed to just ignore his presence altogether._

 _This choice, this seemingly insignificant choice creates two different paths._

 _The second choice is the one we know. While it is a long and difficult path, it is a path of perpetual hope. It is a dark path that eventually leads to the light. In short, it is a path toward happiness._

 _The first choice, the one yet explored, is an even rockier path marred in blood. Whether it is a path leading toward eventual happiness or despair is something yet to be seen._

 _All things in life are determined by the choices individuals make. In the battle between Britannia and Japan, one small choice changed the entire trajectory of the world's fate and tossed its destiny into fire and brimstone._

 _Without a single clue as to what this decision would bring, Rei Hino rose from her seat, packed up her things, and marched to where Lelouch and C.C. were sitting._

* * *

"What are you two palooka's doing here!?"

Lelouch and C.C. both cringed at the volume of my voice, but I didn't really care. Clearly these two were up to something and while my primary objective had been to find some answers to where my brother could be and any general clue about my past, keeping tabs on Lelouch was also pretty important. I couldn't just ignore him, try as I might to mind my own business. Besides, it's about time he found out that C.C. and I were well acquainted with one another.

"Scoot over Ms. Lime," I ordered, already squeezing in next to C.C. who had decided to wear a cute Russian styled Lolita outfit. Her hair may have clashed with it, but I had to admit, C.C.'s fashion choices were okay in my book.

Glaring at Lelouch I continued, "Alright, now that I'm comfy, I'll ask again. What the heck are you doing here?"

"I don't see how my affairs are any of your business," came Lelouch's calm rebuttal. "Just as it's not my business to know why you're headed for Narita."

Rei groaned at that. "Oh sure, I bet you two followed me..."

"Lelouch and I are here to look for Shirley," C.C. nonchalantly interrupted, her gaze shifting to the window. "There's no point in keeping it from her, Lelouch. In fact, Rei was the one that saved your life last night."

"What?"

"C.C.," I whispered, suddenly very aware of the people around us. "Why would you..."

"You two are acting way too familiar with one another" Lelouch cut in, looking very angry now. "C.C., how long have you known Rei? Better yet, why didn't you tell me about her involvement with Kyoto sooner?"

The green-haired girl shrugged. "It didn't seem like information you needed to know."

"Yeah, because that's a good explanation," I supplied, glowering at her. "In fact, you knew he was..." Rei paused to look around before saying lowly, "...that he was Zero too didn't you?"

"Correct."

"THEN WHY THE HECK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT!?"

Lelouch pressed his fingers to the sides of his head. "Rei, please calm down. You're drawing unwanted attention our way...as if C.C.'s ridiculous outfit wasn't already doing that."

"It wasn't my secret to tell," C.C. answered, looking at me at the two of us like we were particularly slow children. "Though it hardly matters now. Lelouch, I'm sure you have some questions for Rei. After all, as I said before, she was the one who was with you last night when your mask slipped off."

A nervous laugh escaped me. "Well, it's not that it slipped off exactly..."

In seconds Lelouch's expression had transformed from neutral annoyance to flat out rage. "What are you saying? What happened? Was Shirley there? Did you shoot her?"

"NO!" I screamed, once again drawing attention to us. An attendant came by our seating area within seconds.

"Ma'am I'm sorry to interrupt, but would you mind keeping your voice down?" the nice attendant lady asked. "You're making our other patrons uncomfortable."

I offered her my humblest of smiles and bowed my head a couple of times. "Yes, I'll keep it down. I'm sorry for being rude."

"That's quite alright miss," the lady replied, smiling brightly for us before turning away. Once she was out of earshot, I looked at Lelouch again and immediately wish I hadn't. His eyes were boring into me now which made me wish I would have just stayed put on the other side of the train.

"Explain," he ordered. "Now."

C.C. chuckled. "My, my, are you're in trouble now, Miss Hino."

" _Shut up, C.C._ ," I mentally ordered, fighting to keep my temper in check so that I could explain what had happened to Lelouch. This definitely wasn't going to be easy.

"Okay," I breathed, inhaling a huge breath. "It went down kind of like this. I was out on the docks..."

"So you were ditching the operation," Lelouch corrected while crossing his arms over his chest. "Continue."

Yep, definitely not going to be easy. "I was trying to get back to the base so I could...get to where I needed to be when a giant cockpit started hurdling toward my head. Naturally I had to duck away in order to not get hit."

Lelouch nodded. "So my cockpit landed near where you were. What happened after that?"

"As I was recovering from the shockwave of the landing, I saw Shirley," I told him. "She grabbed your gun. She was going to shoot, so before she could, I got in between you two."

Lelouch and C.C.'s gazes widened. "Did you shoot her?"

A vein threated to pop out of my skull. "I already told you two that I didn't shoot her. Quit interrupting already." With a sigh I continued, changing up the story a little so that I wouldn't have to explain to Lelouch that I was Sailor Mars. "Shirley recognized me when I came to stand between the two of you. She started to ask me why I would defend you. Your mask was already starting to slip off so I..."

"You removed it," Lelouch stated, filling in the blanks.

"That's right," I confirmed. "Unfortunately, someone else showed up. It was a soldier I knew. Her name was Viletta Nu. Apparently she had suspected you of being part of the Black Knights for some time and told Shirley about it. Then, when Shirley followed you, Villetta followed her."

"But as far as we know the military doesn't know anything about his identity," C.C. commented, looking a little worried now.

"Well, thanks to Shirley they aren't going to know anything," I told her, looking down at my folded hands. "When Viletta started saying how she was going to take you and I in for execution, Lelouch, Shirley she...fired the gun. I tried to stop her but she...shot Viletta, maybe even killed her." Pausing I looked back up at my captive audience, gauging their reactions. C.C.'s expression looked a little solemn but otherwise she was her usual nonchalant self. Lelouch however...

"That changes things," Lelouch breathed while uncrossing his arms. His right hand folded into a fist. "C.C. and I have reason to believe that Shirley went to Narita. I need to find her and use my Geass to wipe her memory clean."

Scowling I stared down at his shaking fist. "Lelouch, are you sure you want to do that, and furthermore, what even is Geass?"

C.C. placed her hand on my shoulder then, silencing me before I could start to ask more questions. "Now isn't the best time for us to explain Geass to you. We need to deal with this matter first."

"I'm not sure if I can wait that long, "I told her, glancing at Lelouch who was pretty much lost in his own world now. "I mean, he tried to use that exact power on me. Thankfully it didn't work, but..."

She tightened her grip on my shoulder. "Not now. Later. I promise. In the meantime, help us track down Shirley."

I wasn't sure if C.C.'s word was any good, but I had nothing else to go on. Besides that, this Geass power thing isn't something I really need to concern myself with. Wasn't I going to Narita to look for clues about my family?

 _Julianna._

There goes that voice again. I wish I knew for certain who that voice belonged to but...I guess it doesn't matter. Discovering the secrets of my past will have to wait. For now, the best thing to do is help these two find Shirley and straighten this mess out.

I just hope that Shirley will be okay until then.

* * *

Shirley Fennete stood before the memorial site, looking upon the monument in sadness as she zipped her pink duffel bag closed, hiding the gun and the picture of her father within.

" _Lulu, how could you do this_?"

A man standing a short distance behind the strawberry blonde heard these thoughts and replied to them instantly.

"Yes, how could he?"

The girl turned around, surprise in her leaf-green eyes as she stared at a strange character dressed in a strange white and blue, short-sleeved cloak over a red long-sleeved tunic and black pants. Over his head he wore large purple headphones with an additional piece of purple plastic covering his eyes.

Raising his hands, he began to clap. "A very fine memorial, wouldn't you agree Ms. Shirley Fennette?"

Shirley stared at him, unsure of what to think. "Who..."

"He's a cruel man, isn't he? Lelouch?"

The girl took a step back. "How do you know about Lulu?"

The man didn't listen, only pressed on with words that shook the girl's already damaged psyche. "Aw, he deceived you. Didn't tell you he was Zero."

Her pink bag slipped from her shoulder as she jolted back, struck by the horror that this man knew Lelouch's secret. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"The same mouth that ordered your father's death stole a kiss from your tender lips," the man continued, still walking toward her. "He's a very bad man and you like it." He chuckled, mostly to himself after seeing her reaction those words. "Punishment must be measured out, to him and to you."

"To me?"

"I know everything," he told her, seeing the events of the previous night play out in his mind like motion picture. "All that happened that night."

Shirley was truly terrified now. He knew? Had he been there? Just...just what did he see?

The man chuckled again, ready to continue with his speech when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Now, now," he murmured, "Don't sneak up on me like that. It isn't often that I encounter people that I can't sense."

The woman behind him smirked. "Don't toy with this girl for too long. Remember, we have a deal. I helped you find C.C. and the man she's contracted to. Now you need to help me make sure that a certain Sailor Scout dies."

Shirley gasped. "You mean...Rei?"

The woman responded with a widening smile. "Yes. Punishment must be measured out to her as well."

* * *

A/N: And so...everything has changed. Rei confronted Lelouch and C.C. and now Mao has an accomplice. I'm sure you all can guess who this accomplice is. If you know, say so in that comment box! The next chapter...expect another big change. We have one more prologue chapter to go. (Yes, despite the introduction of the change, the next chapter is still going to serve as a prologue.) Stay tuned! Big stuff is coming soon!

 **Suzaku: Who's going to stay tuned? There's still no audience...**

 **TTY7: (Kicks him out of the chapter) Nobody asked you, Kururugi!**


	4. Turn 0-95: Conflict

A/N: Alright guys! Here is the last prologue. For those who have been reading my stories from the beginning, this is the chapter that will toss out everything that you know about it so far. In other words, this is the chapter that completely changes the plot, but I'm not going to ramble on and on about how everything is going to change anymore. Let me just show you. Be prepared! The last prologue begins...now!

Warning: This chapter is rated **RL** for being Ridiculously Long. We're talking over 9,000. Well, since it serves as the last prologue...the long length was necessary. I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think when you reach the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Sailor Moon. I only own the original characters that will appear later on.

* * *

 **Turn 0.95: Conflict**

* * *

Twenty minutes later~

"Well, where should we look first?"

That was the first question I asked when we got off the train. The voice from my dream was still nagging at me, calling out my real name every other minute as if begging me to answer back, but to do so right then would have been to invite Lelouch and C.C. to think that I'm more insane than I actually am.

Oh great, I just called myself insane. That's nice. Well, when a girl can hear voices in her head...

Focus Rei. Focus.

"We'll cover more ground if we split up," Lelouch stated, glancing between me and C.C. before his gaze shifted in the direction of a tall pointed statue in the distance "I'll go to the memorial site. More than likely that's where Shirley will be, but just in case I want the two of you to check the surrounding areas."

C.C. nodded. "Very well. I'll head east. Rei, you go west."

"Sounds good," I agreed, placing both my hands on my hips. "Let's meet back here in two hours. That should give us plenty of time to look."

"Should either of you see her," Lelouch began, "Call me on my cell."

"Right," I answered while giving him a thumbs up. "Whoever finds her first calls the other two...wait does C.C. have a cell phone?"

Without a word, C.C. started on her way, completely ignoring my question. Lelouch did the same while starting off in the other direction, but I stayed put for a couple of seconds, watching Lelouch as he stuffed his hands in his pocket. Clearly he was distracted, too distracted to acknowledge one of the fundamental problems in our plan, but instead of trying to bring his attention to it again, I switched to a different tactic.

"Hey! Lelouch!"

He stopped, his gaze cold as his violet eyes met mine. "What is it?"

"Try not to worry too much," I told him, offering him my best smile. "We'll find Shirley and then we'll clear this whole madness up. Who knows, maybe you won't have to erase her memory at all!"

Lelouch's expression deadpanned. "Could you be any louder? Geez woman, where have half your brain cells run off to?"

Well...cue the anime sweatdrop. " _Serena really is rubbing off on me if he's saying all that. Great. Just what I needed to add to this perfect, lovely day."_

Shaking his head, Lelouch turned away, his strides long and swift as he marched toward his destination. I let out a huff and started on my way, inwardly vowing to never try cheering him up again. It's not like he deserved my sympathy or help anyhow. After all, he's the reason that Chad is...

" _No,_ " my conscious cut in. " _That was your fault and yours alone."_

Once again the sight of Chad's body being crushed under the weight of the buildings in Narita struck me, causing me to lose sight of what I was doing for a moment. While dealing with his death was getting a little easier thanks to all these distractions, the grief hadn't left me yet. Somehow, I doubted it ever would, but I can't afford to think on that right now.

 _Julianna._

There goes that voice again, prompting me to go in a different direction, but I stayed on my preplanned path. From experience, I knew that the best thing to do when looking for someone was to go someplace up high. I was more likely to find Shirley that way, and that's if Lelouch and C.C. didn't find her first.

The only problem is that I don't really know my way around this place. This is the first time I've been back since the day I came to offer support to Chad's mother and father, and before that...

 _You let me die._

"How much longer will your voice torture me, Chad" I wondered aloud, stuffing my hands into my pockets while keeping my eyes peeled for strawberry blonde, almost orange looking tresses. You would think finding a girl with orange hair in an Ashford uniform would be easy, but apparently not.

 _Julianna._

"Shut up," I whispered, kicking up dust as I quickened my pace along the dirt road. "Now's not a good time." I had barely finished speaking when I came to the bottom of a tall, steep hill. A concrete stairway similar to the one outside of Hikawa Temple marked the path. Smiling softly in triumph, I quickly began my trek up the steps. This was definitely the type of place I was looking for.

Unfortunately, before I could even get halfway up the steps, the world around me shifted into a dream-like space of melting colors. Startled, I stopped moving and blinked a couple of times. When my world remained distorted, I let out a groan. _"Great, yet another vision to distract me. This better not have anything to do with..."_

Suddenly I see the memorial monument before me. Shirley is there, standing before it with a look of confusion on her face. In a flash, another person is standing behind her, speaking words I can't hear, not that I really needed to. Within seconds, Shirley was backing away from him, asking questions about who he was and what he wanted, or at least I think that's what she was saying. I couldn't be sure. The entire vision was muted.

Regardless of this, the vibes I got from the guy she was speaking to definitely set off alarm bells in my head. He was up to no good. I could tell simply from the smirk on his face that grew with each word he spoke to her.

 _"Just what is he saying that's making Shirley freak out like that?"_ I wondered, annoyed when the vision came to an abrupt end. Within seconds I was transported back to the stone steps without a clear idea as to what I'd just seen. Who is this guy? What was he after? Did the conversation between him and Shirley happen earlier or is their conversation a future event?

Because of how irritatingly vague the vision was, I couldn't get a firm answer to any of those questions, but the one thing I'm certain about is that the stranger in the vision is definitely bad news.

"We better find Shirley fast," I muttered to myself, taking off into a sprint up the remaining steps.

 _Julianna._

Seriously though? Can these voices and visions be any more annoying right now?

 _You let me die!_

" _Get it together, Rei_ ," my mind chided as I came to stand at the top of the hill. From here I could see most of the ruined city: the memorial monument where Lelouch was headed, the actual recovery site C.C. had moved toward, the battered buildings between the two main areas, the cable car station a couple miles ahead, and a few open roads covered in glass and other debris. The mountain city of Narita was nothing more than a barren wasteland filled with bitter memories.

 _You let me die!_

Seeing Narita from this vantage point created an even clearer picture of the damage Zero and Cornelia's battle had caused and that image wasn't something I wanted to see again. Having to see my ex-boyfriend's mangled corpse in a body bag had been more than enough to clarify the horrors of war. So many have died for the sake of two different ideals. All the while, Britannian and Japanese alike meet the chilling grip of death.

 _You let me die!_

It's getting a lot harder to ignore Chad's voice now. I feel like his spirit haunts this city.

Turning on my heel, I continued to look for any signs of Shirley in hopes of distracting myself from having to hear the relentless cycle of Chad's enraged screams in my head..

" _This world...this world that I was blind to...it's awful."_

And in that moment, while contemplating the grotesque nature of this world I had stumbled into, a horrible feeling all too familiar began to fill me as my eyes darted about the area. It was the same feeling I got after briefing Serena, Ami, and Lita on what they would be doing during Cornelia's operation- the sensation that something was terribly wrong.

That day, I met Chad to pick up my motorcycle and found myself arguing with him about a boy I was assigned to protect.

An hour later, hundreds of innocent people, including Chad, died.

"This place must be cursed," I whispered just before catching a slight glimpse of Shirley's silhouette to my right. With a sigh of relief I start down the concrete stairway, keeping my gaze on the back of her head. For whatever reason she's stopped moving.

Feeling slightly better, I reach into my pocket for my cell phone and dial Lelouch's number. He answers on the second ring.

"Any news?"

"Great news," I replied, stumbling a bit on the last step as I continued my quick pace toward our mutual friend. "I can see Shirley. She's just a yard away from me now."

Lelouch was silent for a few seconds. "Where are you calling from?"

"When I spotted her I was standing on this tall hill about a mile away from the train station," I told him, slowing my pace a bit when Shirley started to turn around. Her vacant expression caught me off-guard. My footsteps halted as my eyes drifted to her right hand. She was holding a gun.

"Rei, I need more details to figure out your exact location. Can you give me the name of a road sign or something?"

Lelouch's words barely registered in my head as Shirley faced me fully, lifting the gun little by little. I took a step back, my eyes quickly darting around for any kind of distinguishable sign other than the one I feared the girl in front of me was about to make. The thought to transform struck me, but could I bring myself to attack someone lost in their grief and confusion the way Shirley was?

"Bad news," I stated, deeply disturbed by the loss of coherency in Shirley's eyes as she aimed toward my chest. "Shirley has your gun and I'm pretty sure she's going to shoot me with it."

The panic in his voice was clear when he spoke again "What!?"

"You heard me," I answered, keeping the phone pressed to my ear while poising myself to dodge an oncoming bullet. "Look for blood on a dirt road leading away from a concrete stairway of a steep hill. Like I said before, it's a mile away from the..."

Someone's hand grabbed my wrist forcefully, halting my speech. Blinking in confusion I looked over my shoulder and gasped. "You're..."

Before I could say anything more, something slammed into the back of my head. The force sent me face first into the dirt.

The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Lelouch's voice.

"Rei! What's happening!? Answer me! Rei!"

* * *

The instant Rei's voice tapered off, I started running for the station. On the other end of the phone, I heard a gasp then a loud bang before a sharp thud echoed from her end. Thankfully the bang wasn't loud enough to be a gun shot, but it did sound sounded like someone had rammed something against the back of Rei's skull.

"Rei!" I screamed, panting as I continued to run. "What's happening!? Answer me! Rei!"

There were shuffling sounds on the other end of the phone before someone answered. "Good afternoon, Lulu."

Slowing to a stop along the pavement, I answered. "Who are you?"

"Who am I indeed," the man stated, chuckling as I fought to catch my breath. "Don't worry, Lulu. Your dear friend Rei isn't dead yet. I just needed to knock her out for a little while. Ms. Fennette was a wonderful distraction for that end."

"You scum," I breathed, continuing forward at a slightly slower pace. "What have you done to Shirley? What do you intend to do with Rei?"

The man laughed again. "You certainly are a ladies man, aren't you Lelouch?" He paused briefly for another short bout of laughter before muttering, "The two of us will meet soon enough. For now, why don't you just wander the area for a little bit. I'll come find you in a short while. Oh, and don't think about calling the police or bringing in any other outside help. I know you have another accomplice. If you try to contact that person, I'll take great pleasure in killing these two lovely ladies."

The psycho on the other end hung up Rei's phone before I could respond, leaving me with the sound of a dial tone as a final warning.

Shutting the phone, I stuff the device in my pocket. " _So, this man is holding the two of them hostage now. What a rotten situation this has turned into."_

An hour passes. In that hour, I reach the area Rei described, but find no clues hinting at her or Shirley's presence there. I climb the stone steps of the tall hill soon after and search around for them that way. Once again, no clues turn up. Instead, all I see are the remnants of the damage caused by the Guren MK-II's radiant wave surge. I never dreamed that the aftermath of one strategic operation would lead to such a widespread disaster.

Shirley...

Rei...

With one order I inflicted emotional wounds on them and thousands more. C.C. was right to chide me before. I didn't consider the big picture- the possible consequences that could come. I just didn't think my actions through enough. Though prepared to walk the path of blood, I wasn't prepared to cause harm to the people I truly cared for. Still, I know that I can't turn back. I've already gone too far. Time was slowly running out for my sister and I. We were slowly heading down a road that would lead to ruin. At least this way...even if there is no hope for me, there will be a better world left behind for her.

And yet...

Walking along the dirt road, I let out a deep sigh. Do I still regret it? Am I still second-guessing the choices I've made? Do I still wish for a chance to start over again from scratch after all this time has passed? What's the point in wishing for anything if I don't have the power to make those wishes come true?

In my life, the prospect of hope has always been very slim. I lived on for my sister's sake and continue to live to create the world she needs to be happy.

When it comes to my own future, I have never strived to gain much for myself. All I need in life is the power to change the corrupted system that stole my sister's sight and ability to walk, and take vengeance on the man who ruined the peaceful, happy lives we could have led.

For that end, I must survive.

However...what of the cost to the people who consider me a friend? Am I not doing to Shirley what my own father did to me by allowing my mother to be killed?

And Rei, by causing the landslide that killed the man she couldn't love, did I not scar her soul the way my sister's plight had scarred mine?

Clenching my fists, I stop walking. " _Could I ever atone for those sins?"_

My phone rings again. Reaching into my pocket, I scan the caller I.D.. My eyes widen when I realize that its Shirley's name flashing on the screen.

"Shirley?"

"Not quite, Lulu," the man from before stated, chuckling for the umpteenth time.

Growling in agitation I turned around, having heard his voice from behind me as well. He was a strange looking guy, with white hair and purple headphones over his head. His eyes were covered with a purple visor and he wore a Chinese styled blue and white cloak over a red-long sleeved tunic. Perhaps this man is from the Chinese Federation.

Smirking, he tossed Shirley's phone over. It clattered to the ground between our feet.

"What have you done?" I demanded, fixing my gaze on him as rage began to build up inside.

"Oooh, I like it," the man replied, clapping his hands above his head without answering my question. "The scary face! Yes, that is the face of a man whose woman was stolen away, or women in this case."

"Where are they!?" I screamed, forcing as much venom into my voice as I could.

The man tipped his head to the side, his smirk transforming into an inquisitive frown. "You want to know?"

" _Obviously_ ," I thought while wondering what his true objective could be.

His smirk returned. "You'll have to accept my challenge in order to find the answers you seek." Reaching into his pants pocket he withdrew a white knight chess piece. "You specialize in this, don't you?"

"You're challenging me to a game of chess?" I wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow. " _This has to be some kind of ploy."_

The man looked annoyed now. "If you wish to know what happened to Shirley and Rei, you'll have to beat me."

 _That should be simple._ "Very well," I told him. "I accept your challenge..."

"Mao," he cut in. "My name is Mao." Turning away he made a grandiose gesture with his right hand. "Follow me. I have a place set up for our match. You should enjoy it."

Following him was going to lead me into a trap. I could easily see that, but there was no other choice for me to take. With him holding Shirley and Rei hostage, my only option was to play along with his game.

* * *

"Are you familiar with Balinese art?"

The man sitting before the immortal witch on his motorcycle looked completely flabbergasted by the strange question.

C.C. was unperturbed by this. Her gaze remained steadfastly blank as she continued to speak.

"I don't have a photo," she muttered, "But I can paint her in Batwon style."

"Am I supposed to wait around here while you do that?" the man questioned, looking even more annoyed. "I don't think so. Why don't you go ask the police or the soldiers."

"I'd like to avoid that dull crisis," C.C. replied monotonously, clearly bored with the whole chase she and her two coconspirators were conducting.

The man, perplexed as he was, offered a kind suggestion. "Why don't you climb up on something tall and look around?"

From the corner of her eye, the immortal witch noticed a cable car ascending a steep hill. "Very well. Nevermind."

The man shook his head, gearing up to leave as C.C. continued to stare at the cable car. She noted that it was mostly empty aside from two men...and both of them looked familiar to her.

"Huh?" She questioned aloud, causing the man next to her to cease in his movements. "What's Lelouch up to?"

The man blinked. "Something wrong?"

C.C. didn't answer. She kept her eyes on the second man, the one that was becoming more and more familiar each second she stared at him. In a flash, memories began to race through her mind, reminding her of her previous contractor and what a disaster her involvement with him had been.

"It can't be," she whispered, unaware that she held a captive audience. "Mao."

The man next to her blinked in avid confusion and a little concern. "Miss, what's going on?"

With widening eyes, C.C. shifted her gaze to the man. "I need to borrow your motorbike."

"What...hey!"

Before the man could blink, C.C. had pushed him off his ride. "What the heck lady!"

"Sorry," she muttered, turning the ignition before revving up the bike. The man stood up in an attempt to stop her, but by the time he was fully on his feet, C.C. had taken off, her silhouette bathed in the light of the setting sun.

The wheels dug into the dirt path as she swerved along. Within minutes she was speeding up another steep hill, her hair flying out behind her as the cold wind bit at her face.

" _Lelouch, even you...no because it's you..."_ her train of thought fell to the wind momentarily as she narrowed her gaze on the path ahead of her. " _You could never beat Mao."_

Meanwhile, inside the cable car headed up the mountain, Lelouch and Mao had sat down to play their game of chess. So far, only a few moves had been made by the two players.

" _Is he another eye-witness that Rei failed to notice?"_ the raven-haired teen wondered, his violet gaze squarely focused on his opponent before shifting down toward the chess board in front of him. Reaching forward he picked up a black knight piece and moved it forward past his king to take out another pawn Mao had left alone on the playing field.

"I _t's just as I thought,"_ Lelouch stated within his own mind. " _This chess game is nothing more than a ploy. His real goal is to take me to an isolated place."_

Mao lifted his head slightly, almost as if the movement were in response to Lelouch's previous thought. "You know I've never actually played this game before, don't you?"

" _Knocking Rei out to speak with me and calling me on my mobile with Shirley's phone...was he just being theatrical?"_ He paused in his thoughts to stare down his adversary again. " _No, he didn't know what I looked like, and he wouldn't have had time to find a photo of me. He's winging it, which means..."_

"That there's an opening you can use?"

A small gasp escaped the exiled prince. " _How did he..."_

"Shouldn't you focus on the game a little more?" Mao remarked, cutting off the question in Lelouch's mind. "You could lose."

Lelouch observed the board as Mao moved one of his pieces back. It was a solid move, one only an experienced player would know how to implement properly.

"You liar," the boy muttered while moving his king forward. "You have played this game before."

Mao laughed. "Perhaps."

The two of them played in silence for a few more minutes, long enough for the cable car to near its destination. Within that time, Mao turned the tables, shifting the game into his favor until he had Lelouch completely cornered. The young man's eyes widened as he calculated the future moves that would ultimately lead to his defeat.

" _Impossible,_ " he thought, amazed at how easily Mao had defeated him. " _He has me trapped?"_

Mao chuckled just as the vehicle began to slow. "So, can we just call it my game?"

The cable car came to a screeching halt, which caused the chess pieces to tip over and scatter all over the board and the tabletop resting between them.

" _How could he predict every move I made?"_ Lelouch questioned inwardly, his face reflecting his shock. " _Who is this guy?"_

"Didn't C.C. tell you about me?"

As soon as the words registered in Lelouch's head, a plethora of ideas came to him. In seconds, the young terrorist had fixated his gaze upon Mao again, his heart racing as he pondered the different possibilities at an abnormal speed.

Mao's smile of amusement was instant. "Well done." Clapping his hands in front of him, he continued, saying, "In one lightning moment you came up with fourteen possible identities for me."

Lelouch's glare intensified, rage filling him once again as Mao's clapping bounced off the walls of the large vehicle.

The Chinese man ceased his clapping to raise his right hand toward his visor. "And one of those identities is precisely correct."

With one small movement, Mao lowered the visor, revealing the Geass sigil shining in both of his eyes.

Lelouch felt the power of his own Geass spark in his left eye. " _I see. He has Geass too."_

"Let's see now," Mao began, lifting the visor back over his eyes. "For your Geass you have to look directly into someone's eyes. Oh, I know all the rules for your little gift."

"You can read minds," Lelouch supplied, staring Mao down with contempt clear in his gaze, but the Chinese man was unfazed by it.

"You could call my Geass mind reading."

With another growl, Lelouch rose up from his seat. "What have you done with Shirley and Rei? Tell me, what did you do, kill them?"

"Of course not," Mao answered, his smirk widening. "I have a much better plan in mind..."

"BANG!"

The sound caused Lelouch to shiver in horror. " _That was definitely a gun shot."_

Mao started to laugh again, his hands raised for another clapping fit. "My, my, what a wonderful development. Shall we go see the bloodshed? I'm sure you're _dying_ to know, Lulu."

Lelouch's heart screamed for him to start choking the insane man before him, but realized that attempting anything of the sort would only serve to hurt Shirley and Rei more than he already had.

Still...that gunshot...

* * *

About ten minutes earlier

 _What have you done with Shirley and Rei?_

 _"Lelouch?"_ I wondered, his voice sounding distant and muddled in the darkness. What happened to me? What's going on? Why does my head hurt?

 _Oooh, I like it. The scary face! Yes, that is the face of a man whose woman was stolen away, or women in this case._

That voice...I don't know that voice. However...

 _Where are they!?_

 _You want to know? You'll have to accept my challenge in order to find the answers you seek._

This vibe I'm getting...

 _You specialize in this, don't you?_

I'm able to open my eyes long enough to see a white horse chess piece clutched between someone's index finger and thumb.

 _"You're challenging me to a game of chess?_

 _If you wish to know what happened to Shirley and Rei, you'll have to beat me._

As hard as it is to focus right now, this entire scenario sounds like an elaborate trap. Lelouch probably has enough sense to see that, but...

 _Very well, I accept your challenge..."_

 _"Mao. My name is Mao. Follow me. I have a place set up for our match. You should enjoy it._

 _"No,"_ I thought, my memory slowly returning as I forced my eyes to stay open. " _That man...he's the...you're in danger, Lelouch! Don't..."_

That grayscale world faded away as a gasp slipped through my lips. My gaze locked on the concrete beneath me first, then the railing, and then steel tracks a couple feet away from me.

" _Okay, how the heck did I end up here?_ " I questioned inwardly, blinking until the world around me was in focus. At the same time, I tried to move my arms but found out pretty quickly that my wrists had been bound behind my back with a thick cord of some sort. Well, that's just swell. Lelouch is headed for some kind of death trap somewhere and I'm stuck here without a good method for escape because my transformation pen is in the inside pocket of my jacket...and there's no way I can reach it in this position. Still, right now its more important to figure out where I am and if I'm alone. I was knocked unconscious, so someone is probably watching me from somewhere.

With slow movements, I shift my weight around until I'm laying flat on my back. The sky is orange now, so clearly I've been unconscious for at least an hour and a half. My head still hurts too. Sitting up might make me dizzy.

" _One movement at a time_ ," I told myself while lifting up my knees slightly before using the muscles in my lower back and abdomen to push my upper body into an erect position. Gym training and years as a Sailor Scout had definitely paid off for me.

"There, that's a little better..."

The sudden sound of a gun being cocked in my direction reached my ears. With slow movements I twisted my torso around to find Shirley about ten steps above the level plane I was sitting on, pointing Lelouch's gun at me again.

"Shirley," I whispered, staring up into her leaf-green eyes. They were filled with so much sadness that I felt myself getting emotional. "What's going on? Where are we?"

"We're at the cable car station," Shirley answered softly, the gun still trained toward my chest. "Mao and I brought you up here and I tied you up with the cords he gave me. Lulu will be here soon too."

My eyes widened at her words, especially when I began to consider how isolated this place was. With everyone either at the train station or at the memorial sites, this recreational area is pretty much a ghost town. Right now, it's definitely the perfect area to commit a couple of murders, especially with the loud sounds of the recovery operations to mask any loud sound that might echo out from up here.

"Shirley, we're in danger," I told her, shifting my weight so that I would be facing her more fully. "This Mao guy you're talking about...he's bad news, and..."

"Don't," she interrupted, her voice rising in volume. "You, Lulu, and I...we all have to pay the price for our sins."

Her words struck me, not because of how she said them but because of the images those words brought to mind. Once again, I saw an instant replay of the events that led me to this point. The first visions M sent to me, my arrival in Shinjuku, my first trip to Kyoto where I learned I was the last in a royal bloodline, my first undercover assignment that involved killing innocent Japanese people...my people. Then I started to recall the events that had led to Chad's death. I remembered how he had taken me to the hospital after my motorcycle accident, how he waited by my bedside until I woke up, how he invited me to pick up my motorcycle in the now demolished square, our meaningless fight, and then...and then...

Shaking my head, I addressed Shirley again, vaguely aware of the sounds of an approaching cable car. "You're probably right about all that, but whatever you're planning isn't the answer. We can talk about this. It doesn't have to..."

"Who are you to tell me what's right or wrong." Shirley breathed coldly. Her words were so soft now that I could barely hear her. "You, a woman let someone she loved die. And then...you go and protect the person that caused his death, my father's death, and the deaths of so many others. You stood by and watched me kill someone to protect him too."

The cable car finally arrived, stopping with a loud clicking noise as silence hovered between us. There were a thousand things I wanted to say, but I couldn't bring myself to refute her words.

"You don't know him," Shirley continued, her hands shaking around the gun. "And yet...he trusts you. He trusts you more than he ever trusted me. And maybe...maybe the best way for him to know what he did to me...is to kill you too."

Her finger tightened around the trigger seconds after she spoke. Thankfully for me, I anticipated that she would shoot me. Unfortunately, because I was tied up, the bullet still slammed into my right arm when I tried to dodge away from the barrel of the gun. With a loud bang, I fell back against the pavement. Hot, searing pain tore through the appendage, but I was grateful that Shirley was a good distance away. Had she been in point blank range, I'm pretty sure the whole thing would have went flying. Still, as it stood, a river of blood was already flowing down my arm, staining the concrete underneath me.

"Does it hurt?"

I couldn't tell if Shirley was trying to torture me with that question or if she genuinely wanted to know if I was in a good amount of pain. Either way, I didn't appreciate it.

The doors to the cable car opened an instant later. Lifting my gaze, I watched Lelouch run out with the white-haired stranger, Mao, a short distance behind.

Lelouch's violet eyes were fixed solely on me as he knelt by my side.

"Rei..." he trailed off as he noted the blood leaking out of my wound. "I'm sorry." He gritted his teeth in concern. "This is why..."

"Why you tried to erase her memory with your Geass," Mao supplied. He had withdrawn a gun from his pocket. "I wouldn't be worrying over Miss Hino right now, Lelouch." He motioned toward Shirley, who looked completely distraught at Lelouch's lack of attention on her. "This lovely lady here is the one who really needs you."

"She didn't hit anything vital," I stated, talking through the groans of agony that threatened to escape me. "I'll be okay."

"You heard her," Mao stated, pulling Lelouch away from me by the back of his jacket before poking his back with the barrel of the gun he held. "Go on, Lulu."

Lelouch glared at the man as he reluctantly marched toward Shirley. "You really are a piece of work, you know that?"

Mao chuckled. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words and thoughts inflict no harm on me, Lulu."

With slow movements I tried to sit up again. "Be careful...Lelouch."

"Ah, you sound worried," Mao commented, taking slow strides toward me before grabbing my injured arm.

"Gah!"

Lelouch turned instantly upon my cry of pain. "Leave her alone!"

Shirley's eyes started to water at Lelouch's outburst. This definitely wasn't going well. Right now, I'm the last person Lelouch needs to be concerned about.

Mao chuckled again. "But he is concerned about you, Rei. Don't you know? He cares about you too."

"What are you, some kind of mind reader?" I asked, sweat beginning to pour from my brow.

"He is," Lelouch answered, his gaze on Shirley again. "He has an ability that allows him to read the minds of people around him. Am I correct, Mao?"

"For the most part," the strange man replied, tightening his already painful grip on my arm. "Of course, Miss Hino here is a more interesting case. I can only read her mind while touching her. How strange is that?"

I groaned. " _The better question would be, 'How creepy is that'? I'd prefer for him to get his slimy hands off me."_

Mao laughed outright at that thought. "She's quite the feisty one. I like her." He pulled me closer to him. "Too bad she has to die soon."

"Mao, leave her alone..."

"Why should he, Lulu?" Shirley cut in, a single tear rolling down her face.

Lelouch didn't answer the question. Instead he asked one of his own. "Shirley is that..."

"Yes," she answered before he could finish speaking. "This gun is Zero's...your gun, Lulu."

"Why don't you use your Geass on her?" Mao asked, surprising me. He knows about the power, but how could that be unless...

I see. His Geass is that mind reading power and in order to read my mind he has to be in physical contact with me. However, when it comes to Lelouch and Shirley he can read their minds without having contact with them at all.

Mao's smirk had widened considerably in response to my thoughts. "I'm pretty sure you haven't used your 'gift' on her yet, Lulu."

Lelouch glared back down at him.

"Of course if you do..." Mao trailed off momentarily to tighten his grip on my burning arm again before using his other hand to position the gun he held next to my jaw. "I'll put an end to Miss Hino's life and then yours."

It was easy to see that Lelouch was trying to figure a way out of this situation. The questions in his mind are probably the same one's going through mine right now. I mean...can Mao read any thought or just those on the surface? Are there conditions to his power? Is there a delay in the power or some sort of time limit? And more importantly, just what is he after here?

Mao's jaw suddenly dropped. "Wow. Lelouch, you wouldn't believe it. The two of you had nearly identical thoughts. Haha! You and Miss Hino are very much alike. What a pair the two of you would make."

"I know I'm not in any position to state my opinion, but you're voice is aggravating," I muttered, wishing with all my might that I could just slam my fist into his mouth and knock out a couple of his teeth for good measure. "Do you think you could shut up? Seriously, you already gave me a migraine with that stunt you pulled earlier."

The strange man only smiled. "This will be a fitting death for both of you. Poetic justice for the thieves and murderers you two are."

Growling, I glanced at Lelouch then at Shirley.

Shirley's lips trembled as she spoke. "Lulu...die."

Lelouch gasped silently, then turned to face the distraught girl again.

"Shirley..."

"We'll atone for our sins," she interrupted, her voice breaking on the words. "We have to. I'll die with you...and then...we can be together."

"What?"

I narrowed my gaze on her. " _Oh Shirley...you really do love Lelouch, don't you. That's why...that's why you shot Viletta and why you shot me. You thought the two of us would hurt him. But now...because of what happened before you want to die too."_ I let out a soft sigh. " _I can understand that Shirley but..."_

"Lulu...let's end this together."

"Yes, yes, sinners must be punished," Mao echoed.

Lelouch spun around, locking his gaze on Mao's visor. "You put her up to all this!"

" _That's it!"_ I realized, my eyes shifting toward my feet. " _He reads her mind and then it's easy for him to confuse and control her."_

Mao was laughing again. "My, my, you and Rei have done it again. It's almost like reading the same mind."

"Oh please!" I shouted, my expression reflecting my agitation with this guy. "Now you're just being ridiculous."

Lelouch ignored us. "Shirley, you can't let him trick you."

"I haven't tricked her into anything," Mao stated bluntly. "This was all her decision. I only asked her to evaluate the events that have occurred and consider a course of action to atone for the sins you all have committed."

Struggling to try to pull myself away I screamed, "That's not what you did and you know it, Mao!"

His smirk transformed into a wicked sneer, but it didn't register in my head right away. All of my focus was on Shirley.

"Shirley, listen, "I begged. "Believe me, I understand how you feel. It's just like you said before. I let someone close to me die in Narita, but don't think that I blamed myself right off the bat. When Chad first died, all I wanted was revenge and then I found out Lelouch was Zero. From that point on, I didn't know what to do or even what to think. Even now, I can't say that I know how I feel about Lelouch and what he's doing, but...I know nothing good will come from you killing him or anyone else."

"How would you know that?" Shirley asked.

"I..." my mind drew a blank, not because I didn't have an answer but because it was a question I figured Shirley wouldn't ask. In my mind, the answers should be obvious. For one thing, if Lelouch were to die, Nunnally would be left alone.

Without waiting for me to come up with a decent reply she motioned for Lelouch to stand aside. He didn't move.

Her hands started shaking again. "Lulu, please move."

"Why? So that you can have a good shot at Rei?" he asked with a surprising amount of anger in his voice, but...

" _Why would he be angry? I know Lelouch and I are friends, but...our relationship has been pretty rocky as of late and..."_

Mao's sudden laughter cut into my thoughts and into the intense drama of the moment. Shirley stopped moving, though she was still crying, Lelouch stopped in his rant mid-sentence, and I just stared up at the man holding me as he continued to laugh insanely for a good long minute.

With shaky breaths he lowered the gun away from my jaw. Darn it, if only my hands weren't tied, this would have been a good time to try get this matter under control.

"Oh, Miss Hino," he began, his laughter dying down. "You're too much. Your mind brings such joy to my heart, mainly because you're so sublimely oblivious to the secrets hidden within your own heart and how deeply those secrets resonate with the heart of the thief up there." His grip had been so tight on my arm before that it had stopped the bleeding, but now that he had loosened his grip, my blood was flowing freely again. "But of course, that last part you couldn't know. You can't read into a person's subconscious like I can."

Lelouch almost turned around fully, but didn't because of Shirley's gun still being pointed toward him. "What are you up to now?"

"Let me enlighten you, little girl, to one of the secrets of Lelouch's subconscious mind." Mao continued, ignoring the question directed at him completely. "He loves you. That's why he won't move out of Shirley's range of fire."

"What?" I asked, completely taken off guard by his words. I expected Mao to say a lot of things, but those words had not been one of the options.

Shirely shook her head. "No...that can't...is that...is that really true, Lulu?"

"Of course it's not true!" I answered, glaring at Mao. "Don't listen to him, Shirley. He's lying!"

Mao continued to smile brightly. "Why would someone like me need to lie? I know all there is to know about you three, and the truth is far more entertaining than any lie I could come up with. Lelouch loves you, Rei. That is the truth...and though you would probably never admit it aloud, you're in love with him too. You've loved him ever since the two of you were children..."

I stared straight ahead, focusing my gaze on the back of Lelouch's head. He had turned away from Mao and I a minute or so ago. Shirley's gaze was also downcast. I couldn't get a read on anything that was happening now and as far as what was going on in my own heart...I couldn't decide whether Mao's words were lies or the truth. Mao continued on, saying things that I ignored or otherwise didn't hear because I was too caught up in old memories of both Lelouch and Chad. I was scared to face something in my own mind in regards to the two of them now. There was an underlining truth that I hadn't discovered, that I wasn't ready to discover yet.

But Mao was going to tell me. He was going to tell me right now.

"...What you feel for Lelouch is the reason why you couldn't love that poor Chad boy who cared for you so deeply."

Without saying a word I listened to Mao, absorbing his words little by little until the truth of those words sent a sharp, metaphorical dagger through my chest.

"There's a space in your heart only Lelouch can fill," he continued jubilantly, in a voice that was louder than before so Lelouch and Shirley could hear him more clearly. "Because you hated yourself for letting him walk away from the Hikawa Temple seven years ago. You knew there was plenty of room for him, his younger sister, and Suzaku to stay. You knew they were on their own without any adult to help. To think by just opening your mouth and asking them to stay you could have spared them from the horrible sights they endured."

"Mao! Stop it!" Lelouch bellowed, fury dripping from the words.

Shirley was just as indignant when she screamed out, "Lelouch, answer me! Do you actually love her?"

But their shouts didn't really reach me. Suddenly I could see it...the Japan Lelouch and Suzaku saw as children. Suddenly I could see the bodies of the dead, the tears Suzaku cried, the encouragement Nunnally tried to give him, and how Lelouch stayed strong through it all, never once caving under the pressure no matter how badly he wanted to.

I didn't know what they were facing, even so...

My knees began to buckle under the weight of my memories and of the visions flashing before my eyes. Mao must have known about my powers and its triggers.

"You let them walk into Hell, Rei," Mao whispered into my ear, almost as if he were trying to seduce me. "For all these years you've carried that guilt in your heart. You hated yourself for letting Lelouch go that day. That's why you isolated yourself until you met Serena and all your other friends. You even fell in love again with an older man named Darien and then again with Chad, but...neither truly captured your heart the way Lelouch did all those years ago. You let Darien go to be with Serena, and Chad...well you let him die last week."

I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore.

"But rejoice, Rei, for Lelouch loves you...enough to die for you even."

" _No..."_

Snapping out of my stupor, I look up toward Lelouch and Shirley again. She was shaking with bitterness now, the tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Lelouch stood before her, calm and collected...trying in vain to calm the poor girl down.

Mao held up his gun again. "Lulu...why don't you stand aside. If you don't, you know what'll happen to Rei."

"Forget about me!" I shouted, struggling against the madman's grip. "What he's saying...Lelouch...don't..." The sentence died in my throat. Too many emotions were welling up inside of me.

Lelouch did as Mao instructed, standing aside with only a second of hesitance. At the same time, Mao undid the cords binding my wrists before pushing me forward. I stumbled a bit, my legs giving out after the psycho behind me forced me to go up three steps.

"Don't try anything now, Rei," he ordered the second I turned around to face him. His gun was pointed toward Lelouch now. "You don't want to cause his death too, now do you?"

"You really are twisted," Lelouch proclaimed, a dark edge in his voice as he glared down at Mao. "If you want Rei and I dead so badly, then why not just end it here...unless you just get off on tormenting people before you kill them."

Mao shrugged in indifference. "Personally, I rather live in peace, but as I said before...this is poetic justice for the sins the three of you have committed." Smiling again, he addressed Shirley. "My dear, are there any questions you want to ask them? Please make it quick. This show is starting to drag. We need to bring about their punishment soon."

Forcing myself to stand, I face Shirley. She was still crying, but now there was clear anger in her eyes, anger that she was directing entirely at me.

"Tell me, Rei," she began. "If I tried to shoot Lulu now...would you try to kill me to protect him?"

That question nearly sent me to my knees again.

"Your thoughts are safe from me now, Rei," Mao stated, laughing heartily. "You're free to lie if you want, but...I wouldn't if I were you. Remember, if you make any movement I don't approve of, Lelouch will die. And same goes for you Lulu, keep still."

Shirley's gun was fixed on me again. "Please answer, Rei. I need to know...I need to know for certain if what Mao said is true."

This question was by far the worst question anyone could have asked me. Right now I'm still trying to collect myself from the last onslaught on my psyche and now Shirley is practically sending in a kamikaze squad to wreak havoc on what's left of my mental stability.

I made a vow to never let anyone I cared about die again. To fulfill that vow, I would have every intention to protect Lelouch...but to kill Shirley to do it...I care about her too. To kill her would be some kind of breach to the vow I made. Surely I could find another way to protect Lelouch without killing Shirley, but...with Mao here too...I'm not sure if there's even a way out of this horrible predicament at this point. What happens next depends on my next answer because even though my transformation pen is in my pocket, if I make any sudden movements, Lelouch will die.

"We don't have all the time in the world," Mao stated bluntly, sounding bored. "Come on now, Rei. Answer the question."

"I...I can't."

Shirley continued to stare me down, her gaze even colder than before. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know the answer to that question," I told her, meeting her gaze head on. "And I don't want to know the answer to that question. So...don't..." my voice started breaking, my emotional state finally beginning to crumble under the weight of Mao's words from before. "Don't push me, Shirley. You don't want to know the answer that question any more than I do. If you have to shoot that weapon, you better aim at me or Mao because if you do anything else...I don't know what I'll do, okay."

Shirley's eyes widened like saucers. "Rei..."

My gaze drifted toward the boy that was at the center of this conflict. "And Lelouch...if what Mao said is true...if there's even a small part of you that loves me then...do whatever it takes to survive."

Lelouch started to step forward, but I lifted up a hand to stop him, very aware that Mao was still a couple steps below us.

"I told you before, Lelouch," I continued, lowering my hand as a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "I don't need your protection, but I know someone who does. You have to live on for her sake, okay."

The responding expression of anguish he gave was enough to cause tears to well up in my eyes.

"Do you want to know what Lelouch is thinking?" Mao interjected.

I had a feeling I already knew, but it didn't really matter if I answered the madman or not. He was going to tell us.

"He's thinking, 'Would you stand by and allow me to die?"'

That was a silly thought. "Of course not..."

"Then why would you expect me to?" Lelouch questioned before Mao could say anything. "I'm sorry Rei, but like it or not, you're important to me too. I...I don't want you to die."

A sudden look of rage crossed Shirley's irises. She was about to point her gun directly at Lelouch.

Without thinking I intervened by screaming. "Don't do it, Shirley! I swear if you shoot him, it'll be the last thing you ever do!"

That did it. Shirley directed the barrel toward my chest, but I wasn't worried about dying. Mao can't read my mind right now. All I have to do is dodge the bullet and it'll hit Mao instead because he's standing directly behind me. After that...I don't know what will...

"No! Wait!"

My eyes widened as I watched Lelouch leap to get in between Shirley and me.

"You idiot! Stay back!"

But it was too late.

At the same instant, Shirley and Mao both fired their guns.

* * *

A/N: Whew! This one...took a lot of effort to finish. Stay tuned for the next chapter, for it starts the official beginning of this story.


	5. Turn 1: Death

A/N: So this chapter...this chapter...hmm...

Warnings: This chapter is rated **M**. Heavy blood and gore in this chapter. Also, minor character death.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Sailor Moon. If I did...well imagine having to actually watch this madness that's about to unfold.

* * *

 **Turn 1: Death**

* * *

Bullets are but a tiny pieces of metal, yet when propelled by a strong force, these pieces of metal become the tiniest versions of the Grim Reaper.

Two different fingers pull at the triggers of two different guns.

The first bullet is fired by a man whose goal was to kill the boy that had stolen his beloved C.C. away. The second bullet is fired from Zero's gun, the gun that Shirley Fennette held in her hands.

The first bullet hits its intended target. The second does not.

Both bullets enter into Lelouch Lamperouge's body, instantly inflicting him with unparalleled pain as he falls backward into Rei Hino's arms. At the same moment, a collection of photos escape the confines of his coat pockets, streaming out before the student the madman had manipulated.

But Rei is unaware of all of this. The only thing she can focus on is how the first bullet slams into Lelouch's side, crimson liquid squirting out from the wound as the boy continues charging forward despite the howl of anguish that escapes him. Then he's in front of her, his back to her as the second bullet hits him somewhere on his torso. Rei's arms fold around him an instant later and with shock reflecting off her violet eyes, she cradles his head gently as they both fall back a couple steps. The traumatized senshi of fire holds on to him with all the strength she can muster, lowering him slowly to the concrete with widening eyes and shaky breaths. Already his blood is staining the front of her clothes, but Rei can't bring herself to even notice this fact. She can only focus on his contracting pupils as guttural screams retch themselves out of his throat. Thankfully, his screams don't last for very long; however, Rei knows those agonized screams will stay with her long after this day, for his screams were eerily similar to the ones she heard from Chad the day he died.

"Lelouch..." she breathed, her hands shaking as she tried to stop his wounds from bleeding with her pale hands. "Y-you numbskull! Why...how could you just..." Rei couldn't continue the weak tirade.

Tears had already gathered at the corners of Rei's eyes moments ago, just seconds before the bullets had been fired, but now those tears were running freely down her face. Terror gripped at her heart, nearly ripping it apart while her hands moved to block the passage of blood from the holes in his body. Every thought in her mind was screaming at her to get Lelouch to a hospital, but with Shirley paralyzed in front of her and Mao laughing animatedly from behind, Rei realized just how helpless she was to do anything.

" _He's bleeding out too fast,_ " she thought, desperation fueling her to apply more pressure to Lelouch's wounds. While doing this she lifted her gaze to the photos he had been carrying with him, studying the faces of the people within those photos as her tears fell upon him. Most of those photos captured student council events from the past, though some were more recent since Rei saw herself in one of them.

But one picture in particular stood out from the rest. Shirley was in the forefront of the photo, holding up a peace sign while Lelouch was in the background, looking bored. Now, blood stained the lower right corner of the photo. Another photo, a recent one that she was in, was completely stained in blood. Nunnally's face was the only spot left untouched by the vile liquid.

" _What am I supposed to tell Nunnally?_ "

Shirley was thinking along the same lines as she stared down at the photos stained in Lelouch's blood. Unlike Rei, most of the photos held very precious memories for her...memories she had destroyed in a single instant.

"Why...why did I..."

Fresh tears poured over Shirley's cheeks as she watched Rei hold Lelouch's head close to her chest.

"Hang in there...don't die on me, Lelouch," she breathed, still fighting to keep him from bleeding out and to keep herself calm. "Focus on breathing, okay."

Lelouch had stopped screaming a minute ago, but was still groaning loudly in pain, unable to respond properly. Even so, his gaze was fixed on Shirley now, almost as if he were apologizing for everything he had done to her with the little fire that remained in his violet eyes.

"What are you hesitating for?" Mao questioned, still chuckling from his spot at the bottom of the concrete steps.

Shirley jumped at the sound of his voice. "I..."

"They're both sinners," the man continued, his smile widening. "Kill them. Finish off the sinners."

"I...I just...I can't...I..."

Mao's expression quickly shifted into one of confusion. "What the heck is up with this girl? Her mind is just a jumble now. I guess I'll just have to..."

Shirley fired at him before he could aim his gun toward Rei.

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!"

Mao looked utterly bewildered by that point, having barely dodged the bullet the girl fired. "Fine. Fine. Consider it stopped." Without another word he went back into the cable car, presumably to leave for good. Of course, Rei knew better. While holding Lelouch, she turned her gaze toward the vehicle, keeping a sharp eye on him. He was getting another gun, a rifle this time.

With anger in her eyes, Rei began to reach for her transformation pen. " _There's no way I'm letting that guy do any more damage_ _..."_

Before the soldier of fire could complete that thought, the doors of the cable car slammed shut and began to descend down the track. Rei almost exhaled at the sight. A few seconds later she spotted C.C. standing on the other side of the transit, her usual blank stare present on her face as she pointed her own gun toward the back window of the descending cable car.

"C.C. is here," Rei breathed out, a spark of hope rising up within her. "We're going to get you help soon, Lelouch. I promise." Trying to smile off her worries, she stared up toward Shirley. The strawberry blonde still held the gun in her hands, but she wasn't aiming it toward them anymore.

"Shirley, we can still save him," the raven-haired girl began, "But we'll have to work together. I'm having a hard time getting the bleeding to stop."

The other teen didn't move, only stared at the blood still seeping from Lelouch's wounds. At this rate, he wouldn't have much time, but Rei didn't ponder on that. She tried not to think at all. She couldn't let herself feel anything right now. Right now she needed help getting Lelouch to a doctor. It would take a few minutes for C.C. to get to their side of the transit and Rei wasn't one hundred percent certain if Lelouch would be able to hang on for that long with how much blood he was losing. Her hands weren't doing much of anything.

"Shirley, please," Rei begged, applying even more pressure to Lelouch's wounds. "We need to get this bleeding under control. Come on, hurry up."

Lelouch mustered enough strength to lift his arm. He was still looking at Shirley, straining to call out her name.

Rei's gaze followed his shaking hand as he extended it toward the girl, her heart ramming erratically against her ribcage when the image of Shirley holding Zero's gun to her head registered.

"Shirley! What are you doing!?" she screamed, her grip on Lelouch loosening in response to the wave of shock that passed through her body. "Put that gun down! Now!"

Leaf-green eyes brimming with tears stayed focused on the photos and the blood. The owner of those eyes didn't hear Rei's words.

"Stop fooling around help me!" Rei roared, torn on what to do. To move from Lelouch's side meant certain death for him. Releasing her tight hold on him had already caused more harm and she hadn't been managing well with his wounds to begin with. All too quickly, Rei realized that time was swiftly running out for him and Shirley was the only person around who could provide immediate assistance, especially since C.C. was taking so long to get to them. Was she calling a medical team? Was help on the way? Rei didn't know. She could only process the expanding puddle of blood underneath her and Lelouch's ragged breaths as he struggled to call out to Shirley.

"Don't...Shirley..." he managed, his words intelligible enough to be understood, but his words didn't break through. Shirley was lost in her own world now. Mentally she was in a place of no return.

"Lulu...Lulu..."

Rei couldn't keep her temper in check anymore. "He's not dead you know! We can save him!" When Shirley didn't move, Rei growled. "You self-centered brat! Don't you dare leave me alone to deal with this..."

"I'm sorry...we'll be together soon Lulu," Shirley cut in, her words barely above a whisper as a serene smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "I love you. I'm so sorry."

" _Oh God, no_ _,_ " Rei inwardly seethed, her eyes widening even more as Shirley closed her eyes. _"This_ _can't be real. Please, let this be a nightmare."_ Her violet gaze briefly fell on Lelouch, who was still watching the strawberry blonde with horror-stricken eyes. " _Lelouch can't see this. I need to stop her! I have to stop her somehow but if I move, Lelouch will...what do I do!?_ _"_

 _You let me die!_

Rei covered Lelouch's eyes in preperation for an event she prayed she could stop. "Don't do this! Shirley, please don't! I need your help to save him! No one has to die!"

The girl's smile brightened, her facial muscles relaxing. "Together in heaven...with my father..."

"SHIRLEY!"

Her finger pulled the trigger.

The sound of the shot was deafening as the bullet escaped from the other end of Shirley's skull in a stream of blood that splattered over the metal railing and against more of the untouched photos. The gun slipped from Shirley's hand an instant later, clattering down the steps with a sharp sound that reverberated through the early autumn air until it reached the bottom of the steps. Shirley followed shortly after, rolling stiffly down the steps in a long trail of crimson. Through all this, Rei shielded Lelouch's eyes from the death of one of his closest friends. As far as she was concerned, he had seen enough horrors in his life. She could spare him from seeing one.

The senshi of fire remained completely still in the aftermath, unable to scream or breathe properly as silent tears continued to slide down her cheeks. Shirley was dead. It was a death so quick and meaningless that Rei couldn't begin to react to it. Besides that, there was a boy bleeding to death in her arms. She had to stay strong for him. She could not and would not react yet. Even if she wanted to fall apart, which she so desperately did, she couldn't, not until Lelouch was alright.

Pulling him away from her slightly, she stared down into his eyes. He was crying now, but not from the physical pain. His breaths were heavy and labored.

" _Hurry, C.C._ ," Rei pleaded silently before addressing him. "I'm sorry that I couldn't...do anything for her, but you're going to be fine. Hang on. You're gonna be...alright." She began to rock back and forth involuntarily, unknowingly lulling the boy in front of her. "And then...once you've recovered I'm going to put you right back in the hospital for being such a dummy."

"Rei...don't..."

"Save your strength," she cut in, almost breathlessly. "Don't try to talk too much."

Lelouch once again tried to lift his hand, this time toward the tears that were falling down her face. Rei grasped his hand gently before he could touch her, trying her best not to hold on too tightly. She was scared, more scared than she had ever been in her entire life. She could feel Lelouch's blood seeping through her clothes and down to her skin. The sensation made her nauseous and a small part of her wanted to grab the gun laying by Shirley's body and shoot him a couple more times for being so stupid.

"Well...I didn't...anticipate...this outcome."

Rei stopped rocking and fixed a stern glare on him. "Don't talk, Lelouch. Save your energy. You're going to be alright. You have to survive, remember? You have to keep fighting for Nunnally."

"Believe me," Lelouch continued, his voice raspy and weak as he strained to talk. "I don't...want to die. I want to survive...to make a gentler world...like I promised. To think I let such a troublesome girl..." he let out a sound that resembled laughter. "Mao must have gotten in my head too."

The raven-haired princess nodded her response, trying not to read too much into his words. "You need to be more optimistic. You aren't going to die. Everything..." she almost choked on a sob, but she fought through it, doing her best to keep herself grounded. "Everything is going to be okay, Lelouch."

"No...it won't," he breathed. "I'm dying...Rei..."

With an aching heart, the young Japanese woman finally looked down at the exiled prince... _really_ looked at him.

His skin was deathly pale. Her hands were completely stained in his blood. The rest had gone through her black clothing, and the blood that didn't seep through the clothes had dripped onto the concrete beneath them.

Her bloodied fingers slipped through the spaces of his too pale digits. "Lelouch, I don't want to lose you too. Please...please don't say that you're dying. Hang on. Fight for me, please."

"You don't need me, remember?"

Rei was half tempted to slap him for that remark. "You moron! Of course I need you! You're my friend. You were...my first friend. And I..."

"How pathetic we are..." he breathed, laughing sardonically to himself. "Mao was right."

"Shut up," Rei whispered, her voice cracking. "He's not right about anything..."

Another soft chuckle escaped him. "I suppose not. I should have let you take the hit. You were...all too willing to die for me."

Rei tried to smile for him, but her expression ended up looking like a crooked, half-frown. "Yeah...I guess so. What were you thinking when you jumped between us like that? I was fully prepared to dodge."

"Don't know...I suppose...a little of what Mao said got to me," he answered, his voice even weaker. "And now...I'm going to die...all because an irrational impulse. What a fool I am."

"Quit being so negative," she chided, once again tempted to slap him. "You have to live. There are too many people depending on you. You can't just..." Rei didn't want to finish her sentence. Saying the last word aloud would have shaken her last resolve to keep her emotions in check.

Lelouch's chuckles continued. "You're...too kind, Rei. Too forgiving. You would have been better off hating me...or just not knowing me at all..."

Rei shook her head unable to stop the sob that escaped her as she held onto his hand more tightly. "That's not true. If anything you would have been better off not knowing me."

"Perhaps," Lelouch murmured, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to keep them open. "However, it was...because of your..." he stifled a groan that tried to escape him. "Your...kindness back then...before I became Zero and before I attained Geass..."

"You need to save your energy," Rei interrupted, new tears dripping onto his face. Whatever confession he wanted to make was one she really didn't want to hear right now. To hear any confession at all would solidify the harsh reality unfolding before her.

He groaned, again from pain as he strained to keep speaking. "You showed me...what a gentler world looks like, Rei. Seven years ago...you...gave us hope."

"Lelouch..."

At that exact moment, C.C. and Serena both appeared at the top of the stairway with two medical carriers behind them. Rei didn't bother to question how Serena had come to Narita or how she and C.C. had come into contact long enough for them to call a medical team.

There wasn't time to think about anything. In those fleeting seconds, all of her attention was fixed on Lelouch as he spoke the last words she would ever hear him say.

"P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..."

Lelouch's eyes slipped closed. His firm grip gave way to nothing and Rei felt his pulse disappear.

The organ in her chest ceased to beat for a split second. When it started to beat again, it felt like it was trying to beat through a block of ice.

 _You let me die!_

"Lelouch?" Her voice was too soft to be heard by the people running toward her. "Lelouch, are you..."

The young woman felt hands on her shoulders then. Those hands were trying to pry her away from the still bleeding boy.

"No..." she whispered, snatching herself way from the hands that pulled her back as more hands came toward Lelouch. A guttural sound escaped her when they touched him. Her grip on his cold hand tightened. She couldn't, no, _wouldn't_ let him go.

 _You let me die!_

"This isn't happening..." she whimpered, her strength waning as C.C. and Serena forcibly yanked her to her feet. The two medical men began to separate her from Lelouch little by little until she was only holding his hand to her chest. With all her might she held on, a scream on the end of her tongue.

Voices called out to her, but she couldn't hear. She could only see the deathly pale face of her friend, a man she didn't know she loved until he was ripped out of her life.

It was like losing Chad all over again...but this time...somehow it was worse, so much worse...

Finally her fingers loosened. Lowering her arm she held his hand away from her body, allowing it to slip gently from her fingertips as the medical staff moved to take him away. In her peripheral vision, she could see Shirley being taken away in the same manner.

Serena's voice broke to her through then. "Rei, what happened?"

C.C.'s gaze was on the blood and the photos that they were all standing on. "Shirley shot Lelouch. He's..."

Cerulean eyes widened in horror. "He's what? Oh, no..."

The immortal witch didn't respond. Right now she understood that voicing the facts aloud would do more harm than good to the broken hearted priestess Serena was trying in vain to console.

However, Rei already knew the truth. No one needed to tell her. She had felt a fire deep within her soul burn out the instant his eyes closed.

Lelouch Vi Britannia, 17th heir to the imperial throne of the Holy Empire of Britannia, was dead.

* * *

A/N: And that's the end of the chapter. I intended to make it longer initially but...this is a critical plot point that I felt needed to stand on its own.

Additional note: Did I say minor character death in that warning section? Opps, silly me. I meant to say, **MAJOR** character death. Goodness, what a terrible typo. How could I have missed that? Anyway, be sure to let me know what you guys thought of this in that review box. Constructive criticism is welcome and feedback of any kind is always helpful to the process. It may be a little while before I update this again, but I have a plot outline mapped out for this story, so hopefully you guys won't be waiting for a new chapter for too long. I need to update Here We Go Again anyhow.


	6. Turn 2: Promise

_"Is that really you, Lelouch?"_

 _"It is."_

 _The two teens embraced, happiness radiating off of them as old memories filtered through their minds._

 _"Oh, Lelouch I'm so happy to see you!"_

 _"I didn't think I would ever see you again," he told her, reluctant to release her from his hold._

 _The smile she gave him shone bright like the setting sun hanging above them. "Did you honestly think I would break my promise to you?"_

 _"Hey, seven years is a long time to wait for someone to keep a promise."_

* * *

 **Turn 2: Promise**

* * *

Seven years...

He waited seven years for me to keep our promise to see each other again.

Now, he's left another promise on my shoulders, one I'm not sure I have the capacity to keep. Right now, I'm still praying, hoping against all odds that I was wrong about what I felt before. Lately my powers have been acting weird, so to trust in them fully, especially when they're telling me that Lelouch is dead...

Steeling myself for another wave of emotion, I bury my face in my hands and lean against Serena. She hasn't left my side since she appeared at the cable car station. There were questions in my head about how she had managed to figure out where I had went and how she had run into C.C., but those questions never left my lips. I kept them inside, deciding that all of my focus should be spent on prayer.

After the medical team took Lelouch away, we followed them to the recovery camp where doctors and nurses were waiting to treat the wounds Shirley and Mao had inflicted upon him as well as get my arm treated for the bullet Shirley had put in it. The doctor wanted to put me asleep for the extraction of the bullet, but unfortunately for him, this area was little more than a field hospital. The equipment needed for any heavy duty procedure had been shipped back to the main base of operations a few days ago and most of the recovery units had left since there wasn't much left here to recover. Lelouch was in far worse shape and would need the anesthesia a lot more than me if he regained consciousness...or at least that's what I told the doctor so he would leave me alone to fight off the grief threatening to consume me.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

The procedure to get the bullet out of my arm was excruciating. I probably screamed my lungs out from it, leaving my throat dry and raw from overuse. Keeping still had been the most difficult part, especially since the doctor didn't have enough anesthetics to sedate me properly. Even so, the physical pain barely reached me mentally. My screams and the sharp movements I made initially were merely a gut reaction to the foreign objects moving through my arm. With the addition of the sedatives, I was able to bear through it without having to put in as much effort after half an hour had passed.

Truthfully, I think I was able to deal with the agony because there was a deeper pain scorching me from within.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

The extraction of the bullet took two hours to complete. Once patched up, I walked out of the makeshift hospital room the medical staff had made for me and to the waiting area with Serena on my heels. We sat down just a short distance away from the area where Lelouch was being treated. C.C. was nowhere to be found, but Serena informed me it was because she was explaining the situation to the low rank military personnel that had been assigned to deal with our situation. More than likely she was telling an extravagant lie to them to keep the truth hidden.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

More medical staff brought in Shirley's body later. She was mostly covered by a sleeping bag, but a small bit of her orange locks slipped out of the covering. The edges of those strands were stained a deep red.

How much more blood would I see today?

What was I going to do from here?

How was I going to explain any of this to Nunnally, Suzaku, and the members of the student council? Would I even bother to try or just leave this mess behind?

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

Lelouch has to live. Whatever I felt before has to be wrong.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

Those words...would they be his last words to me? Would those words be the mantra that rang on over and over in my head?

A small part of me wanted to find Mao and take his life as penance for the horror he had inflicted upon me, but the more dominant part of my heart just felt tired. The blood loss coupled with sheer emotional exhaustion left me incapable of feeling much of anything, but I had a hunch that my current apathy wouldn't last long. The more I think about what happened, the more devastated I feel.

Serena hugged me gently. "He'll be alright. He's going to be alright."

I leaned into the hug, unable to believe her words even though I wanted to. Nothing could make me believe in the hope that Lelouch was alive, but I prayed anyway, simply because he _couldn't_ be dead. His life was incomplete. There were things he still needed to do.

And I keep referring to him in the past tense...like he's already gone.

C.C. comes back to us a few minutes later, her expression somber. "They'll want to speak to you later, Rei."

I nodded, unable to do much else.

"C.C., I don't understand," Serena whispered, glancing toward the military personnel. "How did this even happen? Why did Shirley..."

"It was Mao who caused this," I cut in, lowering my hands from my face so they rested in my lap. "He has a power that allows him to read minds. He used what he heard in Shirley's head to confuse and control her. That's how..." my words trailed off. I couldn't bear to think back on everything that had happened. I was going to need every ounce of emotional strength soon.

Serena didn't respond to my words, simply kept her gaze on C.C. and continued with her interrogation. "I know this isn't the best time to ask this, but..."

"Then don't ask," C.C. interrupted, looking down at me before rising to her feet. "I've done what I can to make the progression of this incident easier to deal with, but...what happens now is not the concern of the Sailor Scouts. Leave Mao to me."

"And what about the Black Knights," I asked, my voice so soft that the two of them probably had trouble hearing me. "What about Nunnally?"

"Rei..."

"Don't say it's not my concern."

My interruption caused C.C. to scowl a bit, but she didn't try to counter.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

Hearing Lelouch's voice in my head was almost more than I could stand. I'd give almost anything to hear Chad's words of hatred in my head instead of Lelouch's plea for me to move forward. I didn't even know how I was going to do that. There was a horrible sense of grief growing inside of me, one I had to keep fighting off just to maintain what little sanity I was desperately clinging to.

Silence hung over us for a while, and just when C.C. was going to speak again, the doctor working with Lelouch approached. I didn't need to look at his face to know that he had grim news, even so I kept praying for a miracle. I kept hoping that I was wrong, that all of it was a nightmare I could wake up from soon.

Serena rose and walked toward the doctor. C.C. hung back a bit, her cold gaze still locked on me.

I didn't move. I needed to stay seated for this.

Once again I was steeling myself for the inevitable crescendo of doom. My hands gripped the edges of the bench I was sitting on and my eyes stayed glued to my feet, noticing for the first time that my shoes were soaked through with blood.

My gut reaction was to kick them off right then and there, but somehow I kept myself still. My feet pressed against the liquid sloshing around in my shoes harder as my grip tightened on the bench.

" _Breathe in, breathe out_ ," I told myself, trying in vain to maintain a sense of calm.

"How is he?" Serena asked.

Here it comes. Oh please, let it be good news. Let me be wrong. Let this horrible feeling be wrong.

The doctor was silent for a long moment, so long that I couldn't stop myself from looking up at him. His expression said it all. He didn't need to say anything.

But the second our gazes locked, he spoke.

"I'm sorry, but the young man...has passed on."

There was a heavy silence and then...laughter?

Laughter!?

What kind of sadistic person would laugh at this?

My eyes caught the expressions of the three people surrounding me. All of their mouths were wide open, but not from laughter. No, they looked at me like I'd grown ten heads and sprouted wings.

That's when I realized that the source of the laughter was me.

I was laughing at the death of my friend.

And it felt good.

It felt great actually.

He deserved to get laughed at for being such an idiot, for dying, for leaving me to deal with the unfinished tasks of his life.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

"Of course he'd do this to me," I breathed in between chortles of laughter. "That insensitive jerk was always so selfish."

The doctor and C.C. were speechless, understanding in their eyes, but Serena was slow to comprehend, as per usual. She turned on me, demanding an explanation.

"You wouldn't get it. I don't even get it," I told her honestly, unable to control myself. "Maybe I'm laughing because I'm trying to hide the pain or maybe I'm laughing because it feels better to laugh, but most likely it's because I'm so pissed off that I don't know how else to react." Another laugh escaped from my lips, but the sound had become more of a hollow hiccup than an actual laugh. "That idiot...I can't even beat him up for it. How disappointing..." my voice trailed off when my chest began to tighten. I didn't bother to continue, even though there was so much more I wanted to say.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

Something in my expression caused Serena to rush forward. Her arms were around me an instant later.

"Rei, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Those words of compassion were all the incentive I needed to release the full extent of my grief for everyone within a five mile radius to see and hear. I clung to Serena, releasing all the pent up sadness and rage I'd been hiding away for days on end. My body had felt unnaturally heavy with all that emotion stuck inside, but releasing it didn't make me feel any better. If anything, it reminded me just how much had been lost in the course of one week. Chad, Shirley, Lelouch, whatever was left of my sanity...all of these things would drastically affect the people around me, and not for the better. How on Earth am I supposed to move forward knowing the terrible tasks that lie ahead of me?

Nunnally...just the thought of having to explain what happened to her sends bile up my throat, but there's no way I could let anyone else tell her. Not Serena. Not C.C.

What would I say to Suzaku and the other members of the council when Lelouch and Shirley stopped showing up for classes and student council meetings?

What would happen to the Black Knights? To Japan? Lelouch is dead, which means that Zero is...

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

A gasp leapt out of my throat, my eyes widening simultaneously.

Serena pulled back from me briefly. "What's wrong?"

" _Is that..."_ Glancing around I noted that sometime during my crying fit, the doctor and C.C. had departed. Any other people nearby were lost in their own worlds, plagued with their own loss.

"Rei?"

Without answering I stood, barely glancing down at her since tears were still leaking from my eyes. "I have to go and be alone for a while. Please don't follow me." I started off, my feet carrying me toward the exit.

I didn't get far. Serena's hand latched itself around my wrist. "You don't really believe I buy that, do you? Rei, someone important to you just died and I know that has to be tearing you up inside."

Yes, it was, more than Serena or anyone else could ever know, but I can't dwell on the feelings of self-hatred and pity, not anymore.

"Serena, please..." I begged as I turned to face her. "I really do need to be alone right now. I need to think and I can't do that here." That much was true. There was no way I could think properly in such a miserable place, surrounded by the rotting bodies of the dead. Lelouch and Shirley's corpses were too close by and the memory of Chad's lifeless eyes became more present with each passing second I stayed, threatening to weigh me down in grief all over again.

Three people...people who were important to me...have died.

Rei Hino can't cope with this. She has to disappear.

Serena's blue eyes shone with worry. "Why does it feel like you're saying goodbye?"

" _Because I am_ ," I thought, smiling sincerely at her. "I'll be alright. I promise I'm not suicidal or anything like that. Really. I just need to be alone and figure out what to do."

"Rei..." she trailed off, her grip tightening on my wrist just a bit. "You know I'm always here if you need me. Whatever path you choose, try not to walk it all by yourself, okay."

I nodded. "Sure." It was probably the simplest yet hardest lie I had ever told and somewhere deep down, I think we both knew that.

But despite this, Serena released me. "See you later then."

With a nod, I marched forward. To look back meant to change my mind and remain attached to the horrible ache lingering in my chest. Even now I was crying. I had no intention of trying to stop the tears from flowing. It was the only release from stress I was going to get for a while.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

The brisk wind of autumn hit my face the second I stepped outside. Voices from behind were calling me, but I didn't heed them. Picking up my pace, I started off for Narita Station, making a mental decision to never come back to this cursed land for any reason. Whatever clues that I could have found regarding my real family will remain lost. I don't have a real desire to discover the truth about my past now. All of it is irrelevant.

There's only one road open to me now.

 _P-please...keep...that hope...alive...in...my...place..._

"I will," I answered as the tears began to dry on my face. "I promise, Lelouch."

* * *

 _"Lelouch, do you know why snow is white?"_

 _The boy answered the witch's inquiry with an expression of puzzlement._

 _In response, her golden eyes shimmered, almost as if they were about to pool over with tears. Of course, the centuries old woman would never admit to ever feeling sadness. With a smirk, she hides away the secrets of her past, speaking to the terrorist behind her in an almost playful way._

 _"Snow is white because it's forgotten what color it's supposed to be."_

* * *

He saw fragments of my past and heard my true name.

I never told him how happy it made me to hear the word on his lips, then again, I never intended to do such a thing. Experiencing that small trace of happiness was a gift that should not have been given. He was an accomplice, nothing more or less. That was the agreement from the start- from the moment I gave him Geass.

However, his death has affected me in a way I didn't expect. I find myself worrying over what will happen now that he's gone. Marianne has already yelled at me a great deal through our mental link, making it extremely difficult to maintain my focus. If that weren't already enough, Rei, the soldier of flame Marianne enlisted to help secure Lelouch's safety, was in horrible shape, her heart completely shattered. That much was clearly visible. She kept trying to hide it, but...there's no way to hide heartbreak of this magnitude.

I would have no emotional attachment to any of it if not for the fact that I was the cause of it all.

The reason Shirley was manipulated, the reason Rei found herself in the middle of a conflict she couldn't resolve, the reason Lelouch died...

My past decisions led to this. There was no getting around this fact.

Nevertheless, I'm more bothered by the fact that I feel anything at all. Lelouch was nothing to me. I helped him merely because it was a means to an end. He was my ticket to death, that's all.

When did I start to care?

Was it when he tried to protect me in Narita? Was it after he learned my name? Perhaps it was sometime before then. I did enjoy teasing him, and it was a nice feeling when he genuinely thanked me for helping him and for giving him Geass.

But...that couldn't have been enough to prompt the ache in my chest, right?

Marianne wouldn't allow me to ponder on it for long. From the second Lelouch was brought to this field hospital, the former empress had been bawling non-stop.

" _My son...how could you let this happen to my son?"_

She keeps asking the same question over and over as if the constant reiteration of the inquiry will prompt me to respond. If she weren't Lelouch's mother, I would have pointedly demanded for some peace and quiet.

" _Marianne, I'm sorry about this, truly I am..."_ My words to Marianne halted when I noticed Rei storming out of the filed hospital with a determined scowl on her face. A couple of the low ranking military staff were trying in vain to keep up with her brisk pace. Given the situation, I wasn't surprised by this turn of events. Judging by her expression, it's likely that she's going after Mao. If that's the case...

" _Well, don't stop her. He needs to pay for what he did to my baby!"_

I almost rolled my eyes at Marianne's comment. "I promised her that I would explain Geass." With a sigh I began to follow Rei's path out of the area, pausing briefly to glance back at Serena, who had opted to stay behind. I would have to calm Rei down quickly. Serena isn't going to be able to handle the military's line of questioning for long.

After filling my lungs with air, I took off into a sprint after her.

* * *

A/N: And so ends this chapter. Lelouch is truly gone from this world, leaving Rei to deal with the aftermath. What will she do? How will the story play out now that one of its main characters has been wiped out of existence? Find out next time on A Date With Destiny: Smoke and Mirrors.


End file.
